Pokemon Heroes - Book 1 - Sinnoh Saga
by J. Goketsu
Summary: Follow Sam, Jeremy, Niya and Alyssandra and their Pokemon as they travel across the Sinnoh Region, catching Pokemon and meeting new friends and enemies alike. As they travel, they find that Team Galactic's hold on Sinnoh is deeper than originally believed; they also discover answers to secrets long-forgotten in the region they call home.
1. Dedication

This novel is dedicated to all of the friends, acquaintances and people who have helped me build this novel and the characters within this setting. You have all helped inspire me and added to this novel in your own special way, both directly and indirectly.

This novel is also dedicated to my dear friend, for many years, Alyssandra De Rossi: a major character in this novel, and once a major person in my life, as a friend and more.

Here's to you old friend. It's a shame you're no longer with us. You are sorely missed.


	2. Table of Contents

Chapter 1: New Beginnings

Chapter 2: The Pokémon Professor

Chapter 3: Starly Returns

Chapter 4: Catching Contest

Chapter 5: The Lost Turtwig

Chapter 6: Pokémon Battle Royale

Chapter 7: Sam's New Friend

Chapter 8: Jubilife City, City of Joy

Chapter 9: Niya; Alyssandra's First Contest

Chapter 10: Pokétch Problems

Chapter 11: En Route to Oreburgh

Chapter 12: Mime Jr.'s Play Time

Chapter 13: Oreburgh Gate; An Old Teacher

Chapter 14: Tunnel of Terror

Chapter 15: Sam's First Gym Battle

Chapter 16: Return to Jubilife, Team Galactic Attacks

Chapter 17: En Route, Route 204

Chapter 18: In the Caves of 204

Chapter 19: Floaroma Town, The Festival of Honey

Chapter 20: Showdown at the Valley Windworks

Chapter 21: Floaroma Contest

Chapter 22: On to Route 205

Chapter 23: Fuego Ironworks

Chapter 24: Battle Royale, Part 2

Chapter 25: The Coming Storm

Chapter 26: Eterna Forest, Separate Ways

Chapter 27: Eterna's Ancient Mansion

Chapter 28: Trouble in Eterna

Chapter 29: Eterna's Tower

Chapter 30: Family

Chapter 31: Eterna's Gym Leader

Chapter 32: The Necklace

Chapter 33: Cycling Road Adventures

Chapter 34: The Truth Revealed

Chapter 35: Secrets

Chapter 36: The Family Business

Chapter 37: The Curse of Mt. Coronet

Chapter 38: The Hiker Brothers

Chapter 39: Hearthome City, Home Is where the Heart Is

Chapter 40: Hearthome City, The Contests Heat Up

Chapter 41: The Hearthome City Contest

Chapter 42: The Hearthome Battle Tournament Begins!

Chapter 43: The Pokémon Poachers

Chapter 44: Route 209, The Two Towers

Chapter 45: Enzo Appears, Battle with a Little Brother

Chapter 46: Solaceon, The Next Contest

Chapter 47: Solaceon Ruins, Mystery of the Past

Chapter 48: The Pokémon Day Care

Chapter 49: The Battle n' Breakfast

Chapter 50: Return of the Hiker Brothers

Chapter 51: Veilstone City, Sam's First Defeat

Chapter 52: Team Galactic Returns

Chapter 53: Rematch with Maylene

Chapter 54: The First Train to Hearthome

Chapter 55: Route 212, The Pokémon Mansion

Chapter 56: Pastoria City, City of Marshes

Chapter 57: Catching Contest Number 2, Pastoria Marsh

Chapter 58: Pastoria City Gym, Crasher Wake

Chapter 59: Explosion at the Great Marsh!

Chapter 60: Seaside Route 213

Chapter 61: Lakeside Resort, No Time to Rest

Chapter 62: North to Veilstone, The Mysterious Woods

Chapter 63: Train Back to Hearthome, Rival Rematch

Chapter 64: Battle with Fantina

Chapter 65: Tunnel to Celestic Town

Chapter 66: Celestic Mystery, The Deities of Old

Chapter 67: The Watery Path of 218

Chapter 68: Canalave City, The Iron Island Ferry

Chapter 69: Battle Royale, Part the Third

Chapter 70: The Aura Tribe of Iron Island

Chapter 71: Canalave Battle for the Badge

Chapter 72: Earthquake! Rowan's Theory

Chapter 73: Lake Valor—Team Galactic Strikes

Chapter 74: Through the Tunnels of Mt. Coronet

Chapter 75: Out of the Darkness and into the Woods

Chapter 76: The Ice Fields of Northern Sinnoh

Chapter 77: Triple Evolution, The Two Mysterious Stones

Chapter 78: The Abomasnow-man

Chapter 79: Team Galactic Rematch

Chapter 80: Quick Trip to Snowpoint

Chapter 81: Battle with Candace

Chapter 82: Back to Lake Acuity, Too Late!

Chapter 83: To Lake Verity!

Chapter 84: Veilstone City, City of Secrets

Chapter 85: Infiltration, Cyrus's Plans

Chapter 86: To Mount Coronet

Chapter 87: Scramble to the Summit

Chapter 88: Battle at the Spear Pillar

Chapter 89: Dialga and Palkia

Chapter 90: The Third Power

Chapter 91: The Final Power, the King of Pokémon!

Chapter 92: The Red Chain Breaks

Chapter 93: Legendary Captures, Legendary Friendships

Chapter 94: The Defeat of Team Galactic

Chapter 95: Reunion at Hearthome

Chapter 96: Sunnyshore, The City of Sun

Chapter 97: Maddie of Johto

Chapter 98: Top of the Lighthouse, Volkner's Ambition

Chapter 99: Sunnyshore Gym, Relighting the Fire

Chapter 100: Ferry to the Pokémon League

Chapter 101: Battle Aboard the Boat

Chapter 102: Enzo Returns, The Sibling Rematch

Chapter 103: One by One

Chapter 104: Elite Four Aaron!

Chapter 105: Elite Four Bertha!

Chapter 106: Elite Four Flint!

Chapter 107: Elite Four Lucian!

Chapter 108: Champion Valentina! The Battle Begins!

Chapter 109: Champion Valentina! The Outcome!

Chapter 110: Champion Sam, Victor of Sinnoh

Chapter 111: Homecoming

Chapter 112: Return to Professor Rowan

Chapter 113: The Mystery of the Flower Paradise

Chapter 114: Snowpoint Temple Mystery

Chapter 115: The Secret of MacAbre Mansion

Chapter 116: Half Moon Island

Chapter 117: Full Moon Island

Chapter 118: Boat to the Battle Zone

Chapter 119: Manaphy and Phione, Storm at Sea

Chapter 120: Arrival at the Battle Zone, Jeremy's Dream

Chapter 121: The Pokémon Ranger Test

Chapter 122: Stark Mountain Scramble

Chapter 123: Return of Team Galactic

Chapter 124: Thwarted!

Chapter 125: Goodbye Jeremy

Chapter 126: Back to the Fight Area

Chapter 127: Battle Tower Streak

Chapter 128: Tower Tycoon Palmer, Sam is Defeated

Chapter 129: Over the Mountain and Through the Woods, to Grandmother's House We Go

Chapter 130: Rhyperior's Rampage

Chapter 131: Survival Area, Niya Falls in Love

Chapter 132: The Warrior of Route 226

Chapter 133: The Frozen Caves of Stark Mountain

Chapter 134: The Desert Sands

Chapter 135: Hippopotas's Problem

Chapter 136: The Champion Villa, A New Home

Chapter 137: Valentina Comes to Visit, Valentina's Advice

Chapter 138: Alyssandra's True Feelings, the Kiss

Chapter 139: Professor Rowan's Advice

Chapter 140: Off to Kanto, A New Adventure


	3. 1 - New Beginnings

~ Chapter 1 ~

New Beginnings

" _They say what is meant to be, is already done. But that does not relieve us from the doing. That is true when I look back on my life, I never wanted to be a Pokémon Trainer; I was content living with my grandmother, in Twinleaf Town, and spending free time with my two friends, Jeremy and Alyssandra, and not having a care in the world. Eventually I would have taken over the family business and started running the Pokémon Ranches throughout all the regions. Spending a few months of the year at each Ranch. That would have been a great life, but it is not the life I chose to take, or moreover, it was not the life that chose me. Everything changed the day I met that Starly in the woods down by Lake Verity…"_

Sam walked through the woods in the early morning. No one else was up yet, and he preferred it that way. It was quiet, and he could think much better without the noise of people; and as much as he wished his friends could join him, he also revelled in the alone time of the morning walk.

Sam loved Sinnoh in the early spring, it was quiet and peaceful, and it was warm—except in the north, where it always snowed.

Sam walked down the dirt road towards Lake Verity; he loved to go there in the mornings, he could sit by the water's edge and think, not about anything, just think. Sam had done this ever since he was a child, when his grandfather used to take him there. It was his grandfather's thinking spot as well, and after he had died, Sam made it his.

Sam had never known his parents, nor had he ever asked about them, he grew up with his grandparents—who had always taken care of him and made sure he could get the best opportunities—and they were just like parents to him. They acted like it, and they treated him like their son, and Sam was content with that. The only thing Sam ever knew about his parents was that his father had left his mother before Sam was born, and that his mother died in childbirth, beyond that Sam never bothered asking more.

He had had a good life in Twinleaf Town, what more could he need? He had two great friends, a good family, and he wasn't exactly poor—his aunts and uncles all owned a share in the family business, along with his grandmother and him.

Sam sighed as he lay down in the green grass by the lake, he looked out across the vast expanse of water, and could see—in the distance—a small island in the middle. Legend foretold of a Pokémon that lived inside of that island, the guardian of the lake. Sam, nor anyone else for that matter, had ever seen it. Sam smiled as he imagined himself, as a Pokémon Trainer, discovering the Pokémon of the lake. It would be great if he could, but Sam didn't want to become a Pokémon Trainer—or at least, he couldn't. He needed to stay behind, and take care of his grandmother, as she was getting older; someone needed to watch her. Sam couldn't leave to go on a journey, not as long as his grandmother was alive.

Sam stood up and looked down into the lake to see if he could see any Magikarp, but he couldn't see anything except his own reflection.

Sam was a 16-year-old boy, and he had short, dark brown hair, as well as dark eyes, a strong jaw, and dark, thick eyebrows; he was well built, and tall at 5'9". He wore his classic outfit, a pair of beige, cargo pants and a baggy nylon jacket whose sleeves were rolled up to the elbows. The jacket was red, black, and had a red Poké Ball on the left side. It was also kept half zippered, revealing a white t-shirt beneath. On his hands was a pair of black, fingerless gloves that had once belonged to his grandfather.

As Sam sat back with a sigh, hoping—for once in his life—that something interesting would happen.

Suddenly, as if an answer to his prayers, a Starly shot out of the nearby trees. "Starly!" shouted the startled Pokémon, as he ran out to the water's edge. Sam stood up in surprise and the Starly ran behind him, as if hiding from something. Sam looked down at the Starly, it looked wounded and scared, but it still had some energy in it.

The Pokémon cowered behind Sam, and stared towards the bush, Sam followed the path of Starly's gaze, and found two yellow eyes staring him from the trees.

"Who are you?" asked Sam bravely, "What do you want with this Starly?"

A soft purring emanated from the bush, and slowly and sleekly, out walked a Glameow. Sam didn't need someone to explain to him what was going on, it was the stray Glameow from Twinleaf, and it was trying to use the Starly as a morning snack.

"Keep away you!" said Sam, hoping it would be scared off, but the Glameow was persistent, and kept coming closer and closer, at this rate Sam would either need to battle the Glameow, or fight it off himself, neither of which he could do unless he used the Starly to fight.

But the Starly was an uncaught Pokémon, Sam didn't get it in a battle, he didn't catch it in a Poké Ball, and he wasn't even a Trainer.

Yet he had no choice, if this Starly was going to survive, it needed to fight, and Sam would have to teach it how.

"Starly," said Sam, the Starly looked up at Sam in hope, "Do you think you could fight with me, just this once? I know I'm not your Trainer, or any kind of Trainer at that, but I want to help you. Can you do this for me?"

The Starly nodded. "Ly-Starly!" it said happily as it flapped its wings.

Sam smiled and the Starly jumped out in front of Sam, and in front of the Glameow, its wings out and ready to fly. Sam was ready to call out an attack, and then he realized…he had no idea which attacks Starly knew.

"Um, what attacks do you know exactly?" asked Sam.

The Starly simply looked up at him with a slow, "Lyyyy."

The Glameow took the opportunity to attack, and pounced, trying to launch a Scratch attack.

"Dodge Starly!" shouted Sam hurriedly.

The Starly dodged, but just barely, and Sam, with little time on his hands decided to shout out the first attack that came to mind.

"Starly try a Tackle attack!" he said, "Full force!"

The Starly chirped and flapped its wings, and flying close to the ground, threw itself into Glameow, who bounced back a bit from impact.

The Glameow stood up, angrier than before, and at a low growl it charged at Starly again.

"Dodge—!" said Sam, but it was too late, the Glameow had hit Starly with a Feint Attack.

Starly flew back and bounced a bit before coming to a halt on the ground,

"Starly!" said Sam with worry, "Are you, all right?"

The Starly tried to stand up, but fell over, and the Glameow moved in for the finishing blow.

"No, you don't!" shouted a deep, but unknown voice.

Sam looked up to see a rather tall man, with snow-white hair and a snow-white beard and moustache, he had a Poké Ball in one hand, and beside him was a Luxio,

"Go Luxio! Use Spark on the Glameow!" said the man with certain gruffness to his voice.

"Luuuuuxio!" shouted the Electric Pokémon, as it let loose a large electric shock from its body, which hit the Glameow and sent it flying back towards the forest.

The Glameow got up, and with terror in its eyes, ran away into the woods once more.

Sam looked up in awe at the man in the long, brown trench coat, the man looked down at Sam with seriousness.

"Are you all right boy?" he asked.

Sam quickly found his voice and nodded. "Yeah, I am," he said, "But the Starly—"

"The Starly will be fine, take it home and care for it, and it will be just fine," said the white-haired man, "May I ask your name?"

"I—my name?" asked Sam, "Well, I'm Sam, Sam Accardi. I'm from Twinleaf Town and I—"

"I didn't ask for your life story," said the man, "Are you a Pokémon Trainer?"

Sam shook his head no.

The white-haired man looked at Sam in surprise, with a raised eyebrow, "You're not?" he asked, as if he expected any other answer, "Interesting…have you ever been in a Pokémon battle? Or owned a Pokémon before?"

Sam again shook his head, "Never," said Sam, "Not officially, my grandfather used to teach me with his Pokémon, but they never belonged to me, and they were just training fights. I'd win a few times though."

The man nodded, "I see," he said, "Your grandfather was Aurelio Giovinazzo then?"

Sam nodded suspiciously. "Yes, but how did you—?"

The man cut Sam off again. "We are old friends," said the man, "He and I go way back. Now, you'd best get home and get that Starly looked after, but I would like to ask you a favour."

Sam nodded. "Anything. You helped save Starly and I," said Sam sincerely.

The man smiled; Sam hadn't known him long, but the smile still surprised him.

"Good, I was hoping you would say that," said the old man, "I would like you to come to my Pokémon Research Lab in Sandgem Town; I will arrange to have a Fearow from the National Fearow Transportation Service meet you this afternoon, I know where you live. It will be there around three, is that all right?"

Sam didn't know what to say, but he supposed he might as well say yes. This was an adventure, and he could use a little action, besides this man knew his grandfather, so he had to be trustworthy.

Not to mention he just saved Sam and Starly, and he was being rather nice about it—gruff as he was.

Sam nodded, "Yes, that's fine."

The white-haired man nodded and returned his Luxio to its Poké Ball. "Very well," he said, "And I will see you then."

With that, the man left, leaving Sam alone with the injured Starly.

Sam instantly picked up the Starly in his arms and examined it, its wings were injured, and it couldn't fly, and it was badly scraped up from the Feint Attack. Sam instantly began running back to Twinleaf Town, at his top speed he would be back there in ten minutes, hopefully that would be enough to save the Starly.

Sam sat at his kitchen table; the Starly lay on a blanket, with a bandage around its wing. It was fast asleep, but perfectly fine.

Sam sipped a cup of coffee and watched the Starly sleep.

His grandmother had helped him clean and bandage the wounds, and she was now out in the garden trying to get some herbs to heal the Pokémon faster. Sam chose to stay inside and watch the Starly, and he was doing so quietly and attentively, when suddenly two people burst through the front door.

The two people were a boy and a girl, and both greeted Sam with a smile.

The boy was an inch taller than Sam, with straight, long black hair that hung down in front of his red eyes. His skin was tan like Sam's and just like Sam he wore black, fingerless gloves. The boy had a red and white ball cap, a red vest with an upturned white collar and white short sleeves, a black t-shirt that he wore beneath the vest, and a pair of blue jeans with a black belt.

The girl on the other hand, wore a yellow, button-down dress that went to just below her waist. Below that she had a loose-fitting top with only a thin strap that hang from her shoulder, and the other sleeve that slid slightly down it. She also wore a short jean skirt that went to the middle of her thighs. Her skin was smooth and slightly tanned, and her eyes were full and bright green, and pierced through Sam like a spear that seemed to read his feelings. Around her waist the girl wore a turquoise sash with white rings, and a large, red hat with a white Poké Ball on it. Her hair was thick and layered and a light brown colour. It went down to her shoulders, and flipped outwards at the bottom, and a lot of hair covered the left half of her face, while two strands came down in front of her shoulders from the back.

As the boy took off his white running shoes, and the girl took off her knee-high leather boots, Sam smiled and greeted them back.

"Hey, Lyss, Jeremy," he said, "What brings you guys around?"

The boy, Jeremy, laughed. "Since when do we need an invitation?"

The girl, Lyss, laughed as well. "Exactly, we just figured we'd drop by and pay you a visit," she said, "Your grandmother said you were in here. She told us all about the Starly, is the poor thing all right?"

Sam pointed to the Starly as they all sat around the table. "See for yourself," he said, "It's sleeping, but it seems to be fine for now."

Jeremy nodded. "That's good," he said, "You did the right thing taking care of it and trying to battle with it, so you could protect it was genius. Too bad you didn't win."

"Yeah," said Sam, "It would be great if I did, but the Starly was already injured beforehand, I'm glad it lasted as long as it did. Now I have an appointment with some white-haired man in Sandgem Town."

"Whoa, whoa," started Jeremy, "Hold up, did you say white haired man from Sandgem?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah, he was tall, somewhat rough around the edges," listed Sam, "And he wore a brown trench coat. Why?"

Jeremy beamed with excitement. "I think you might have just met Professor Rowan, he's a Pokémon Professor who gives Trainers their starter Pokémon when they go out on their adventures…I wonder why he wants to see you?"

Sam shrugged. "Who knows? All he did was stop the Glameow and then ask to meet me later today. The Fearow from the NFTS should be here in an hour to get me and bring me to Sandgem."

Alyssandra smiled widely. "What if he wants to give you a starter Pokémon so you can go out on your own Pokémon adventure?" she asked, "That would be amazing! I would love to have my own! I'm so jealous of you right now."

Sam laughed. "Yeah, well I'll have to turn him down then," said Sam, "I can't go out on a Pokémon adventure; my grandmother needs my help here. I need to watch out for her while she's alive."

Jeremy shrugged. "It's a shame," he said, "I think you'd be a great Trainer, and we'd love to travel with you…hey! I know! Can we go with you to Sandgem Town?"

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Why?" he asked, "Don't you think it would be rude to show up with guests."

Jeremy waved his hand. "Not if you explain that we were curious and wanted to meet Professor Rowan too," said Jeremy, "Because that's part of the reason I want to go with you."

"What's the other reason?" asked Alyssandra, with her head resting on her hands, "To meet girls?"

Jeremy turned red. "No," he said, "No that's not it at all. I want to pick out a starter Pokémon. Not to go on a trip with, but I would like to have a Pokémon companion of my own; Barney, my Persian, is getting old and doesn't like to leave the house anymore, all he does is sleep."

Alyssandra smiled. "Aww, he's a cutie," she said, "I love him, but I know what you mean…I want a starter Pokémon too, I'd love to have a cuddly little Pokémon to snuggle up with at night."

Sam laughed. "Jeez, Lyss," he said, "It's a Pokémon not a teddy bear."

Alyssandra stuck her tongue out at him and crossed her arms. "Well, regardless," she said, "Jeremy and I are going with you, Jeremy go call up the NFTS and have them send two more Fearow for us."

Sam sighed. "Nothing I say is going to stop you guys from coming is it?" asked Sam as he drained his coffee mug and placed it in the sink.

Jeremy and Alyssandra smiled. "Nope!" they said in unison.

Sam sighed again. "Very well," he said, "Come along, just be polite all right? I don't want to seem like my friends are only there because they want something out of it."

Jeremy laughed as he started dialling. "But that _is_ why we're coming."

Everyone started laughing, and the laughter echoed throughout the kitchen.

Sam stood up and walked over to the table by the stairs. "I'll get my keys and start preparing for the trip there," he said, "I want you guys to be ready too when the Fearow come."


	4. 2 - The Pokemon Professor

~ Chapter 2 ~

The Pokémon Professor

" _I knew from the moment that the Fearow landed in my front yard to take us to Sandgem I would probably end up going on my own Pokémon adventure with Alyssandra and Jeremy. I didn't want to go, I didn't want to leave my grandmother alone, but at the same time I was already planning which starter Pokémon I would choose, in the back of my head. I laughed about that later, knowing full well I had no real idea why Professor Rowan wanted to see me, and that it could just very well be to see how the Starly was doing. But somehow, the feeling in my gut told me otherwise, and I'm glad I listened…"_

Sam stepped off the Fearow as it touched down in front of a large laboratory. Sam and his friends had arrived in Sandgem Town, with the injured Starly cradled safely in a sling that hung from Sam's neck.

It was still fast asleep, feeling the flight from Twinleaf to Sandgem.

Jeremy and Alyssandra ran towards the front door, eager to see what they had been called there for.

"I hope we get starter Pokémon! This could be our chance to finally go on a Pokémon Adventure like we've always dreamed!" fawned Alyssandra over the idea.

"I wonder what to choose," wondered Jeremy aloud.

Sam sighed; he knew that even if he turned down his chance at an Adventure today there was no stopping Alyssandra and Jeremy from accepting the challenge. He had held them back for too long, and he knew it was time to stop being so selfish, so he held his tongue.

Sam quickly slipped a roll of Poké-Yen into the money pouch on the Fearow's neck while his two friends were busy contemplating their possible futures.

"There," he whispered to the Fearow, "That should cover the flight and a generous tip."

The Fearow smiled, and with a loud caw, flew off to what Sam could only guess was its next fare.

Sam watched as the Fearow flew off, and then turned towards his friends, who were now arguing over who would be the better Trainer.

Sam had never told them that his family owned several Pokémon Ranches, or that he was secretly rich, and he received a large sum of money each month as a partial owner of these ranches, which was exactly why Sam was paying for the Fearow in secret. Sam never wanted his friends to find out, because he didn't want them treating him differently; Twinleaf wasn't exactly known for its millionaires.

Sam let out a laugh as he approached his friends; in an attempt to pretend he was paying attention to their squabble. "Come on," he said with a smile, "Let's go inside."

Sam walked up to the large wooden door, and gave it a light, yet resonating knock. After waiting for a few minutes, a man in a lab coat and thick, heavily taped glasses opened the door.

"Y-yes?" asked the man nervously, "H-how may I h-help you a-all?"

Sam and the others were taken aback by the man's stuttering for a second but recovered quickly to answer. "We're here to see Professor Rowan," said Sam.

"Yeah," added Jeremy, "He met our friend Sam here by the lake a few hours ago, and they saved that Starly, see?"

"He told us to come to his lab this afternoon," added Alyssandra as the man in the lab coat examined the Starly.

"Oh! Y-yes! The Professor m-mentioned you'd be c-coming by!" smiled the apprentice as he nervously readjusted his glasses, "C-come in, please, Professor R-Rowan will b-be r-right with you."

The man opened the door and let the group into the laboratory, then quickly ran off somewhere down a nearby hallway, presumably to get the Professor.

As the three waited for Professor Rowan and the other man to return, they noticed the magnificence and wonder that was a Pokémon laboratory. It was filled with all sorts of machines and devices with blinking lights. All of them gave off similar humming or whirring sounds, and sometimes the occasional beep.

Over to the side of one wall was a long table that spanned the entire laboratory and had all sorts of vials, pipes and beakers filled with strange and mysterious fluid.

"I wonder what all of this stuff is," asked Alyssandra as she examined a beaker filled with a blue, gelatinous fluid, "Do you think its Pokémon DNA?"

"Who knows," said Jeremy as he examined a large graphing machine, "Probably. I mean it is a Pokémon Lab after all, best you don't touch it though."

Alyssandra nodded. "You're probably right…" she said as she carefully placed the beaker back down on the workbench, "Knowing me, I'd probably trip and fall with it."

"What does this machine do?" asked Sam as he joined Jeremy by the graphing device.

Sam examined the paper that was continuously coming from one side of it, displaying a connected line that seemed to go up and down according to whatever it was reading; it looked like a lie detector test, or a seismograph, whatever it was though, it was cool to watch.

"It measures the electricity produced by an Electric Pokémon," said a deep, gruff voice, "I've got it hooked up to a Magnemite in the next room. It's for a project I'm working on."

The group whirled around, and saw Professor Rowan standing there, his assistant behind him.

"Pascal told me you were here," he said with a small smile, "I apologize for the wait, I was working on something in my study."

Sam assumed Pascal was the stuttering assistant, as he was the only other person standing in the lab.

"It's all right, Professor," said Alyssandra with a smile, as she and the others walked over to Pascal and Professor Rowan.

"Oh, Professor! These are my friends, Alyssandra and Jeremy," said Sam quickly, "I hope you don't mind that they came along."

Professor Rowan smiled again. "No, not at all! In fact, it's better that they did," he responded brightly, "Now! Shall we get down to why I called you here?"

The group nodded. "Excellent! First, may I see the Starly?" asked the Professor.

Sam nodded, and walked over to a nearby table—one of the few cleared ones—and removed the sling, placing it on the table's surface. As he placed the Starly on the table, it woke up, and smiled up at Sam.

"Star-Starly!" it exclaimed with glee.

Professor Rowan picked up the Starly, very gently and began to examine it with care. He checked the injured wing, as well as the rest of the Pokémon for any signs of pain or anything unusual.

"Ah," said Professor Rowan, still intently studying the Pokémon, "It looks like it's almost back to full strength, that's excellent. You've taken great care of this Starly, Sam. I see your grandmother still maintains her herb garden as well, there's evidence of herbal medicine here. Very good."

"How did you know—?" started Sam.

But Professor Rowan chuckled and answered. "I am an old friend of your grandfather's, remember?"

"Wow, really?!" asked Alyssandra in amazement, "That's so cool! How did you two first meet?"

Professor Rowan smiled as he remembered. "It was many years ago. I was ten years old, starting out my journey as a Pokémon Trainer. I had just received my first Pokémon as a birthday gift from my father. On my way to Sandgem Town, I met a young boy about my age; his name was Aurelio Giovinazzo. Instantly I challenged him to a battle, but of course I lost. He had much more experience than me, even then—mind you, your grandfather was an exceptional Trainer, and I only beat him a handful of times in all the years we knew each other."

"Anyway," continued Professor Rowan, "After losing the battle, we introduced ourselves. I learned that he was from far away, another region, but he had come here to go on a Pokémon Adventure. Well, as you can imagine, seeing this young boy all alone in a strange country, I invited him along with me. Together we travelled all over the Sinnoh Region, even entered the Sinnoh League together. We spent the next four years travelling together, going to each of the four regions, Hoenn, Kanto, Sinnoh and Johto. We never got to the Unova Region, as it hadn't contacted the other regions yet. Even after all those years, when your grandfather finally came back and settled in Twinleaf Town with your grandmother and you, he and I remained great friends."

"Wait, you knew me when I was a child?" asked Sam confused.

"Oh yes, I came to visit a few times when you were very young," said the Professor as he stroked his moustache, "You probably don't remember, you were so young. In fact, we met at your grandfather's funeral a few years ago, but I'm sure you were too busy with the goings on to remember me. No matter, it is very nice to see how much you've grown."

Sam's head spun slightly, all this new information; it was just too much to handle all at once. Trying to keep a handle on his consciousness and remain polite, Sam tried to ask one question at a time, starting with. "What region did my grandfather come from?"

Sam had never asked about his family or their origins, all he knew was they were foreigners from another region, but he was never told which one. His grandparents had moved from there to Twinleaf Town after Sam was born. He knew the Ranch came from the Accardi side of the family, and they were originally from Kanto and spread about the Pokémon world, but the Giovinazzo side was always a mystery. Sam figured now was a good time to start getting some answers, especially after everything he had just heard.

After a quick pause for thought, the Professor finally answered. "You know I'm never quite sure. He never did mention specifically," started Professor Rowan as he fed the Starly a bit of Pokémon food that he pulled from his pocket, "He stayed with me or at a Pokémon Centre between journeys, so he never had any family here with him. Although, we once stayed with two of his cousins and some of their friends when we were in the Hoenn Region, and they lived in Slateport City, so I assumed he came from there. Never met anyone else in his family though."

Sam nodded, he knew the Professor either was holding something back, or didn't know the whole story, and after all these years Sam wasn't surprised that some of the details were fuzzy, and so he didn't press the subject further.

"So, why did you call us here Professor?" asked Jeremy, noticing Sam's inner thought and slight unease at the topic at hand.

The Professor turned to Jeremy and smiled. "Ah, yes," he said, "We shall get to the fun now." Professor Rowan walked over to Pascal, and patted the young man on the shoulder, "Go into my office and get the 'package', please Pascal."

Pascal nodded and ran back off down the hallway.

"After I met you down at Lake Verity this morning Sam, I knew you had talent as a Pokémon Trainer," said the old Professor, "I saw the way you battled, and it was not unlike your grandfather. You took command of a Starly, a strange Pokémon and a wild one at that, and used it to fight off that Glameow. I was very impressed."

Pascal returned, holding in his hands, a tray with six semi-spherical indents in it. Three of the indents were filled with Poké Balls.

Sam knew exactly where this was going. "You want to give me my own Pokémon…" he said slowly, "No, I'm sorry I can't, I mean I appreciate it and all, I really do—I love Pokémon! I would love nothing more than to go out on an adventure, but I have my grandmother here to think about. I can't leave her all alone—"

Professor Rowan smiled. "When your grandfather died I made him a promise. I promised that I would not let your talent go to waste, unfortunately every time I tried to call your grandmother to see if you had changed your mind she told me you were dead set against leaving. But when I saw you this morning, I knew I had to try one last time. It was even more perfect that you brought your friends along with you; you know a Pokémon Adventure is always better when done with friends."

"But my grandmother—" started Sam again.

Professor Rowan smiled, and patted Sam on the shoulder "Will be just fine without you," he said, finishing Sam's sentence, "I will visit her often, and so will your friends' parents I'm sure. If she wants she can come move in with me here, and help me care for the Pokémon, it would give her something to do. Besides, I know how proud she would be to see you as a Pokémon Trainer, to be as great as your grandfather."

Sam wanted to argue back, he wanted to keep fighting, he wanted to turn him down, but the offer Professor Rowan made, it was too enticing. To be like his grandfather, a great Trainer, someone the family would be proud of.

Sam sighed. "I suppose…may we see the Pokémon you have?"

Professor Rowan nodded happily. "Of course," he said, "Pascal, please let them out."

Pascal nodded, and picked up each of the Poké Balls, tossing each of them each in succession. Each of the Poké Balls released their respective Pokémon, and Professor Rowan turned back towards the three friends.

"You may all choose a Pokémon," he said, "It will be better for you all to go on the trip together, friends are important while travelling. And don't worry if some of you choose the same one, I have more out in the fields out back, I just keep these three here on hand in case."

Sam looked at each of the Pokémon, examining each in succession. He knew them, Chimchar, the Chimp Pokémon, a Fire type. Next was Turtwig, the Tiny Leaf Pokémon; it was a Grass type. And finally came Piplup, the Penguin Pokémon, and a Water type. Sam looked over the three Pokémon; trying to see which one he "connected" with. His grandfather had always told him that the way a Trainer should choose his Pokémon is through connection. According to him, Trainers connect with the Pokémon meant for them in a certain way, a specific, non-descript connection, and this connection determines how compatible a Pokémon and Trainer are together.

Sam looked at each of the Pokémon in turn, starting with Chimchar. He looked at the Fire Pokémon, picked it up, but felt nothing, and put it back down. Sam looked at the Turtwig, and the Pokémon seemed happy to greet him, jumping into Sam's arms, and snuggling up against his chest. Sam smiled and patted the Pokémon but did not feel any connection to it. It was not until the Piplup that Sam felt something, like a sort of jolt, almost like a surge of electricity running up his spine.

The Piplup looked at Sam with puzzlement. "Piplup?" said the puzzled Pokémon.

Sam smiled back. "This is the one," he said, "I choose Piplup."

The Piplup looked up at Sam, not understanding that Sam was now it's Trainer.

Professor Rowan smiled. "An excellent choice!" he said cheerily, "I'm sure that you two will be perfect for each other! Piplup is a strong Pokémon, I've seen it in action myself; very dedicated. Pascal, if you would please."

Pascal nodded. "H-here is the Poké Ball, s-sir," said Pascal to Sam, handing over the empty Poké Ball of the Piplup.

Sam picked up the Poké Ball, and a feeling of power ran through his body, with a grin, Sam pointed the Poké Ball at Piplup. "Piplup, return!" he said, and a beam of red light shot out and retracted the Piplup back into the Poké Ball. Sam looked at the Poké Ball in his hand and swore he could almost feel the Piplup moving around inside; it seemed to be sleeping now from what Sam could tell.

"All right, Alyssandra, Jeremy, you next," said Professor Rowan as he turned towards Sam's friends.

Alyssandra rushed towards Professor Rowan and in no time at all, chose her Pokémon. "I want an adorable little Piplup!" she said, "They're so cute! And I've seen what a fully-grown Empoleon can do! I'd have the cutest and the strongest Pokémon out there!"

Professor Rowan smiled. "Again, an excellent choice," he stated, "Pascal could you go and get one of the Piplup from the field?"

Pascal nodded and rushed out of the door in a flash. Sam looked over at Jeremy, he had not chosen his Pokémon yet, nor did he seem too interested in the other two that remained.

"Professor Rowan," started Jeremy, "Would it be all right if I did something a little unorthodox?"

Professor Rowan raised an eyebrow in interest. "What do you mean?" he asked.

Jeremy looked over at Sam and Alyssandra, and then back at Professor Rowan. "I would like to go out into the wild and get a Pokémon of my own to start with; one that I catch by myself. I would like to use one of your Pokémon here, and perhaps borrow a Poké Ball if that's okay?"

Professor Rowan smiled. "That is a wonderful idea," he exclaimed, "To bond with your first Pokémon by catching it yourself, not unheard of by any means; even if it is a rare option. You may borrow my Luxio, and here is an empty Poké Ball."

Jeremy took the two Poké Balls from the Professor happily. "Thank you very much, Professor," he said, "I'll make them count. I'll be back in a bit, all right guys?"

Sam and Alyssandra nodded, and Jeremy walked out of the door and dashed towards Route 201. Sam and Alyssandra then returned their attention to Professor Rowan, who cleared his throat to speak.

"Now as for the both of you," he started, "You have both chosen Starter Pokémon, albeit the same one. They will be different to train than whatever Jeremy brings back, as these Pokémon have been bred for the sake of training. As I'm sure you know, all Pokémon are unique, but such is the same with wild and captive Pokémon. Wild Pokémon are more rugged, and a bit stronger, as they grow up to endure the harsh conditions of the wild, while captive Pokémon take a bit longer to strengthen up to battling conditions due to their safe upbringing. Do you have the patience to raise these Pokémon?"

Sam and Alyssandra nodded. "We do," they replied in unison.

"I'm going to take care of this Piplup with my life," said Sam, "And together, we're going to enter the Pokémon League, and challenge the Elite Four."

Alyssandra looked over at Sam. "You never told me that's what you aspired to do," she said.

Sam shrugged. "It never came up before," he stated simply, "Besides…it's always been a dream of mine, and it would be fun to do, don't you think?"

"Well to be honest I find all that Gym Battle stuff to be a bit tedious," she said, "I believe Pokémon can get just as strong without having to battle Gym Leaders."

"So, you intend to take another path aside from a Pokémon Trainer?" asked Professor Rowan.

Alyssandra nodded. "I think I'll be a Pokémon Coordinator. It takes a lot of skill and grace, but it's so much fun. I've seen my friend Niya do it before; she even won the Sinnoh Grand Festival a few years back! I bet I could do the same."

Professor Rowan smiled. "I'm sure you could with the right amount of work and effort."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Niya?" he asked, "Is she the one whose Roserade kept attacking me?"

Alyssandra nodded. "That's the one!"

Sam groaned. "Ugh, if I never see her again it'll be too soon. Her Roserade hurt a lot, and I'm pretty sure it did some permanent damage."

Alyssandra stuck her tongue out at Sam playfully. "Perhaps you should toughen up then," she mocked, "How do you expect to face the Elite Four if you can't even take a Roserade attack?"

Professor Rowan chuckled. "You two argue like a couple," he said, "Have you been dating long?"

Sam and Alyssandra blushed, quickly turning away from each other. "No, no, Professor!" said Alyssandra nervously playing with her hair, "You have it all wrong, see, we're just friends!"

Professor Rowan frowned slightly. "Oh, I see. Very well then, if you say so."

Suddenly, the door reopened, and in walked Pascal with a Piplup in his hands, and Jeremy, with a proud look on his face. Pascal walked over to Alyssandra and handed her over the Piplup, as well as its Poké Ball.

"H-here is your P-Piplup, miss," said Pascal in his normal stuttering tone.

Alyssandra looked at her Piplup and hugged it close to her. "You're so cute!" she said, "And you're going to be so strong once we start training!"

"Piplup!" cried Alyssandra's Piplup enthusiastically.

"Are you ready to win the Sinnoh Grand Festival?" asked Alyssandra with a passion.

"Pip–Piplup–Pip!" responded the Piplup, equally passionate.

"I think it's time for our two Piplup to meet," said Sam. He held up his Poké Ball and then raised it perpendicular to the ground.

"Go, Piplup! Come out and say hi!" he said as Piplup shot from a red beam that escaped the Poké Ball. Sam's Piplup jumped up and down happily cheering its name as he was released, then looked up at Alyssandra's Piplup that was still in her arms.

"Piplup?" asked Sam's Piplup, conversing with Alyssandra's, who responded with a, "Pip-Lup, Piplup-Pip!" Both Piplup looked at each other cheerily.

"Hey! They're getting along great!" said Alyssandra.

"I'm sure they'll be good friends," added Professor Rowan, "Pokémon of the same species usually share a special bond."

Everyone then turned his or her attention to Jeremy as he burst through the front door suddenly. Everyone was eager to see what he had brought back as a starter.

As Jeremy returned Luxio to Professor Rowan, Sam asked: "So, what did you catch? Show us!"

Jeremy smiled as if he had just won the lottery, and then grabbed a Poké Ball from his jacket pocket and tossed it up in the air. As it landed back in his hand, a red beam shot out, released a Pikachu onto the ground of the Pokémon lab.

"Pika-Pikachu!" said Jeremy's new Pikachu.

Sam and Alyssandra's Piplup jumped towards the Pikachu with intent to greet it, but the Pikachu ran back towards Jeremy, and crawled up his body to rest on his shoulder. From up there, he released a bit of electricity from its red cheeks and glared down at the two Piplup.

"It doesn't seem too friendly," said Sam, as he got ready to protect his Piplup.

"It's a little shy around others the first time," said Jeremy in response, "Practically attacked me when I first caught it. It will be fine with a little adjusting time though."

"Not all Pokémon get along with their Trainers at first," Professor Rowan said with a nod, "Especially wild Pokémon. They take a little longer to bond with than captive Pokémon."

"I'll keep that in mind," said Jeremy as he massaged what looked like a Pokémon bite on his arm.

"So," said Alyssandra, "What do we do now? Do we just start our adventure?"

"I think we should at least go back home to say goodbye to our families," interjected Sam quickly, thinking of his grandmother, "Plus we don't have any supplies or anything else with us. We should pack."

"But we've come all this way," said Jeremy, "To go back and forth would detract from our travel time. We can get stuff sent to us from home at the Transfer Station in the Pokémon Centre, and we call home from there too."

"Jeremy's right," said Alyssandra, "Hey, it may not be goodbye in person, but it's better than nothing. Besides, if we go back now, it's going to be harder to say goodbye. Remember what you told me when we first met, Sam, 'no regrets'?"

Sam smiled, and paused for a second, staring into space. "All right, fine," he said, "We'll stay at the Pokémon Centre tonight, and we can call home and send for our stuff while we're there."

"All right, but what about the Starly?" asked Sam, who looked over at the Starly from before, who had now gone back to sleeping.

Professor Rowan chuckled heartily. "I shall care for it here," he said, "I will look after it until it is ready to fly again, and by the looks of it, that shouldn't take much longer. A good night's rest and I can send it on its way."

Sam nodded, content with the answer given. As long as the Starly was with someone who Sam could trust, he would be able to rest easy.

"And while we're settling these affairs now," continued Professor Rowan, "I would like to at least invite you all over for dinner. I may not be able to offer you rooms to stay in, but I can at least offer you a meal before your journey. Which reminds me, can one of you cook?"

Sam nodded. "We all can," he answered.

Professor Rowan nodded. "Good, then you'll also need to stock up on food as well, because home-cooked meals from the Pokémon Centre won't always be available, you'll need to cook out and camp out many nights, so get a tent and a portable cooking set to eat with."

The group nodded. "All right, I'll make sure my mother sends them over too," said Jeremy, "Well! Shall we get going?"

Alyssandra and Sam nodded, then turned to their Pokémon. "So Piplup, you up to starting our adventure?" asked Sam.

His Piplup jumped up and down happily. "Piplup, Piplup, Pip-Lup!" it shouted enthusiastically.

Alyssandra asked the same of her Piplup and was returned a similar reaction.

Jeremy then turned to his Pikachu, who at first, looked wary of the thought, but quickly warmed up to the idea of travel, and replied with "Pi-Pikachu!"

"Then it's settled," said Sam, the sense of adventure and great destiny filling him, "We start our Pokémon Journey. Together."


	5. 3 - Starly Returns

~ Chapter 3 ~

Starly Returns

 _"The decision was made and our destinies set. Everything we were about to encounter for the rest of our travels for the next several years had been set in motion and engraved in stone. It was too late to turn back, and for the best too probably, Alyssandra was right, had we gone back it would've been harder to leave. The morning we started out on our adventure I was still a little homesick, despite my best efforts, but it was what happened that day that kept pushing me forward...the knowing that I would encounter something new and wonderful just like that every day...and it was all because of that one Starly. This Pokémon had changed my life from the moment I met it..."_

Sam poked at his eggs then rolled some sausage around in his plate.

He didn't have much of an appetite; he was too preoccupied with his thoughts about what he was to undertake. Just yesterday he had received his first Pokémon from Professor Rowan-a Piplup-as had both of his friends. Together they had all decided that they would go on their Pokémon Adventure together, right from Sandgem Town, and although Sam had agreed, he still had his doubts.

Sam felt bad about leaving his grandmother, but he could always get one of the family to go take care of her, and Professor Rowan and Jeremy's mother had promised to look out for her while he was gone as well...still, Sam felt regret and a longing to return home.

Perhaps it was just fear, a fear of not being able to achieve what his grandfather had, or to live up to the family's expectation.

From what Sam heard, the Accardi side was known for producing great Trainers as well, and Sam's other grandfather was a family legend, even so many years after his passing, people didn't stop comparing Sam to him.

"You okay?" asked Alyssandra as she touched Sam on the arm, "You haven't eaten a single thing."

Sam sighed. "I'm just not hungry," he replied, "I know I have no reason, but I feel guilty for leaving so suddenly like this."

"Don't worry, Sam," reassured Jeremy, "Your grandmother seemed proud of you when we called her yesterday, remember? You seem to really be fulfilling her dreams by becoming a Pokémon Trainer."

Sam smiled a bit. "I suppose," he said. Sam knew she wouldn't want for anything if it really came down to it, the family was rich, and she was entitled to a share of the business as well-she too got a monthly endowment from her shares in the company.

Sam then looked over at his friends-his fears mostly quelled due to the thought of his grandmother's stability, both in matters of company and finances-and realized that he would need to tell them sooner or later. They were going to be travelling together, and to do that they would need to trust each other.

Trusting meant no secrets, meaning they needed to know about Sam's family.

"Can I confide in you guys?" started Sam slowly, still a bit of reluctance in his voice.

Alyssandra rolled her eyes. "No, we've only been friends for eleven years," she said sarcastically, "You can't tell us a thing, nope!"

"Please, Sam," said Jeremy with a dismissive hand, "You need to have more faith in us than that. Whatever it is you can tell us. Are you still nervous about leaving?"

"No, not exactly," said Sam slowly.

"Well, then, what is it?" asked Alyssandra, "You can tell us anything."

"Well," started Sam, "You need to promise to not judge me or anything alright?"

"We promise," replied Jeremy and Alyssandra in unison.

"Alright, well," started Sam, "My family is rich, and so are my grandmother and I. We own a series of successful Pokémon Ranches throughout all of the regions. My grandmother and I receive weekly stipends from the ranch due to our shares in it, and I'm next in line to take over the business."

There was a pause of silence; Sam feared he had just done something regrettable.

Finally, Jeremy replied with a nonchalant. "Is that all?"

"What do you mean?" wondering Sam in bewilderment, "You mean you're not surprised? I mean, I know it doesn't seem like much but—"

Alyssandra smiled. "We understand," she said touching him on the arm again; "You didn't want people treating you different. But we're your friends; we'd never do that to you. Besides, we told you that you could confide in us, and you can. We're not going to freak out; whatever you tell us, we take seriously, no matter what it is. We owe you that, as our friend."

Sam smiled. "I'm glad I have friends like you."

"And we're glad to have a friend like you," added Jeremy, "Now you can finance this little road trip of ours."

Alyssandra and Jeremy laughed, and Sam joined in.

Anyone else, and Sam wouldn't have talked to them again, but he knew that this type of joke was typical of his friends.

"You guys are great," said Sam happily.

Alyssandra and Jeremy smiled, and together replied. "We know!"

"Now, we'd better finish up eating fast," stated Alyssandra, "We're supposed to get on a video call with your parents, Jeremy, and your grandmother, Sam. Also, we're expecting the transfer of our stuff remember?"

"I almost forgot!" exclaimed Jeremy, who upon hearing this, began to shovel food into his mouth at a rapid rate.

"Calm down," said Sam as he ate through his eggs, "You're going to choke. By the way, Lyss, what about your parents? Aren't we going to call them too?"

Alyssandra shook her head; "They're at the Pokémon League, spending some time with Eliza before they go on vacation to the Resort Area up in northern Sinnoh. I sent them a message by Pidgey though, and left them a message at home. They should get the memo in time."

The group quickly finished up their food, and ran from the table towards the line of videophones and transfer stations in the entrance hall of the Pokémon Center.

"Who should we call first?" asked Alyssandra.

"Let's call my house," said Jeremy, "Knowing my mother, your grandmother's been invited over and is already there Sam."

Sam nodded, letting out a smile. "He's right, Lyss."

Alyssandra shrugged in agreement, and then began to dial the number on the keypad.

After several rings, the screen turned on and revealed Jeremy's mother in her kitchen. "Hello, kids!" She exclaimed happily, "Are you getting ready to go out on your adventure today?"

Jeremy nodded. "Yes mom," he replied, "Dad's at work already?"

Jeremy's mother nodded. "Yes, left an hour ago," she said, "But I'll tell him you said hi, dear. So, how are you all feeling?"

Alyssandra replied first. "Well, a little nervous to be honest," she answered, "But I'm sure we'll do fine once we camp out the first night. My sister, Eliza, told me that's when everything starts to sink in."

"I'm sure she's right, Alyssandra," smiled Jeremy's mother, "After all, she is the Pokémon Champion of the Sinnoh League."

"Yup!" replied Alyssandra, faking enthusiasm. She had always spent her life being compared to Eliza, and the fact that her older sister was now Champion of the Sinnoh League at the age of nineteen, and the youngest Trainer to achieve the title, didn't help any. Alyssandra loved her sister, but to always be compared to her didn't always feel so good.

"And what about you, Sam?" continued Jeremy's mother, "I understand you were having some doubts about leaving your grandmother alone."

"I'm fine now, Mrs. De Oliveira," replied Sam, "Thanks for asking. Actually, speaking of my grandmother, is she there? If so, can I quickly speak to her?"

"You know me very well," chuckled Mrs. De Oliveira, "She's right over here having a coffee, I'll go get her alright? Just hang on a second."

There was a pause as Jeremy's mother disappeared from the screen, then the screen came to life again as a small, kind woman, with grey hair entered the screen.

As she adjusted her circular framed glasses she smiled at Sam. "Look at you," she said happily, "You look like your grandfather, like a _real_ Pokémon Trainer."

"Grandmother," said Sam, "I _am_ a real Pokémon Trainer."

"I know that, dear," she smiled, "I just mean that you look like someone who's accomplished so much, even though you're just starting out."

"Well, give it a few months and who knows, I may be the new Champion," joked Sam.

"Oh, I wouldn't doubt it," replied Sam's grandmother, "Your grandfather beat the Sinnoh League and defeated the Champion in almost eight months. He turned down the job himself though; he was always a man who loved to travel."

"Yeah, I remember," said Sam nostalgically, "Are you sure you'll be okay?"

Sam's grandmother nodded. "Yes, I'll be fine," she said, "And I'll be cheering you on every step of the way. I know you'll make me proud."

"I will, I promise," said Sam confidently.

"Now, are you ready to go off on your adventure?" asked Sam's grandmother.

"Almost," answered Jeremy, "We just need the supplies we sent for. Are they getting transferred over?"

Sam's grandmother nodded. "Oh, yes," she answered, "Your brother brought everything over to the Pokémon Center here in Twinleaf, he should be transferring them as we speak. Also, Sam, I've made sure that the family is aware of your adventure and they will be sending your share of the monthly profits to the First Bank of Sinnoh. I've opened up an account for you, and placed all of your savings in it, is that alright?"

Sam nodded. "That's perfect," he said, "We'll need to finance this somehow."

Alyssandra and Jeremy looked at each other, confused, and attempted to argue back, but Sam raised a hand to silence them.

"Also, I've packed a map and included in some special 'gifts' into all of your backpacks, as a present for starting your adventure, I hope you like them all," interjected Jeremy's mother as she returned to the screen.

"What are they?" asked Jeremy.

"I can't tell you that" replied his mother smiling widely, "That'll ruin the surprise. Now, I need to get to the chores and you need to get to your adventure, so I will see you all later, all right? Don't forget to call when you reach the next Pokémon Center!"

"We promise, mom," replied Jeremy.

"Good, sweetheart," she replied, "Good luck all of you! Have fun and be safe!"

"Thank you!" replied Alyssandra and Sam.

"Bye!" added Jeremy's mother and Sam's grandmother in unison, "We love you!"

"Us too!" replied the kids, and with that the screen went black and the conversation ended.

As the phone hung up, there was a small flash of light and a warped sound, and three bags appeared in the capsules that were hooked up to the large transfer machine.

The kids grabbed each of their backpacks, they opened them up and rummaged through them for the gifts that Jeremy's mother had mentioned. What they found were three, equally sized, similarly wrapped boxes with nice, curly bows on them.

They lifted the lid on the boxes; and saw that each of the boxes contained a brand new Pokétch. A red one for Alyssandra, and a blue one for both Jeremy and Sam; the group instantly slid their new Pokétchs on, and pushed the centre button to turn them on and begin setting them up.

"Oh, cool!" said Alyssandra as she examined the device, "A Pokétch! I've heard about these, but I've never actually seen one. I heard they do anything! And that they come with all sorts of devices and applications, this is so cool!"

"Your mother's really nice," added Sam, "This is really kind of her, she didn't have to."

"Speaking of not having to," began Jeremy after setting the time on his Pokétch, "What did you mean by 'finance this'?"

"I meant what it sounded like," said Sam plainly, as he heaved his backpack onto his shoulders, "I'll finance our journeys. Trust me, I make enough in shares to be able to, and since I've spent very little over my life, I have a lot saved up."

"We can't let you," protested Alyssandra, "We were just kidding at the breakfast table, we don't want you to actually fund our adventures."

"I know," smiled Sam, as the group left the Pokémon Center, "But I want to. It's the least I can do for dragging you all out here, even if you came voluntarily. Besides, not all of our meals and lodging is going to be free like they are at a Pokémon Center, and most new Trainers and Coordinators don't make enough to support themselves that much at the start. I'm not saying gorge ourselves all the time, but I'm saying that we'll be able to at least not worry about wanting."

"We're not going to be able to change your mind are we?" asked Alyssandra.

Sam shook his head. "Not at all."

Sam, Jeremy and Alyssandra paused as they approached the entrance to Route 202.

As they viewed the road ahead of them, their bags on their back and their Pokémon on their new Poké Ball belts, they knew that as soon as they took their first step there would be no turning back.

"This is it," said Jeremy, "This is going to be the first step in our journey."

"And we're going to take it together," said Alyssandra.

Sam laughed. "Of course we're going to take it together," said Sam, "We're the only ones here."

"That's not what I meant!" explained Alyssandra fervently, "I mean we're going to take hands, and take this first step together."

Jeremy and Sam laughed, thinking she was joking.

"Oh you can't be serious," said Jeremy, finally realizing that Alyssandra was totally serious, "How cheesy is that?"

"I mean it, hand in hand." Alyssandra maintained firmly, "Let's take our first step together."

"You're not going to let us get off on this are you?" asked Sam as he scratched the back of his neck.

"Nope," said Alyssandra firmly. Jeremy and Sam sighed, and took one of Alyssandra's outstretched hands-albeit rather reluctantly.

"Let's get this over with, alright?" asked Jeremy rhetorically as Alyssandra took a deep breath.

"On the count of three," she said, "One. Two. Three!"

Sam, Jeremy and Alyssandra walked forward together, taking their first steps onto Route 202 in unison.

"We did it!" exclaimed Alyssandra with excitement.

Jeremy smiled. "Calm down," he replied, "We took our first step. It's not like you just beat the Pokémon League or anything."

Alyssandra stuck her tongue out at him, but her attention was quickly snapped down to a small creature at their feet.

"Hey, look," pointed out Alyssandra, "It's a Starly."

Everyone looked down, and saw that Alyssandra was right.

On the ground at their feet stood a Starly, hopping around happily. "Ly-Starly!" exclaimed the Pokémon.

"Wait a second," said Sam inquisitively, "I don't think that's _just_ a Starly, I think that's the Starly from before. The one I rescued at Lake Verity."

"Really?" asked Alyssandra in amazement, "I thought it was still with Professor Rowan?"

"Well, he did say that the Starly would be released by this morning," explained Jeremy, "But I never thought it would come seek us out like this."

"What do you think it wants?" asked Alyssandra.

"Ly! Starly! Ly-Ly-Lyyyy!" cried the Starly.

Jeremy studied the Starly carefully, and watched as it jumped over to Sam and kept pecking at the empty Poké Balls on his Poké Ball Belt.

"I think it wants to travel with us," stated Jeremy conclusively, "And it wants Sam to be its Trainer."

Sam looked down at the Starly, and after a small jolt of thought, smiled. "Is that true, Starly?" asked Sam.

The Starly nodded, and flapped its wings. "Starlyyyyy!" it cried excitedly.

"I'll take that as a yes," laughed Sam, "Alright then, well, I guess I just need to catch you then huh? I'm going to throw this Poké Ball at you, okay? It's gonna capture you, but don't worry, it won't hurt, it just means that I'll be your Trainer officially. Is that okay, Starly?"

The Starly nodded, and flew around in circles around Sam's head, tweeting its name happily.

Sam smiled, and pulled out an empty Poké Ball from his hip, and as the Starly landed on the ground in front of him, Sam threw the Poké Ball. The Poké Ball hit the Pokémon—who stood there, un-phased by it—and absorbed it into a red ray of light, sucking it into the Poké Ball.

The Poké Ball bounced as it hit the ground, and rocked back and forth a few times, beeping and whirring as the button in the middle flashed red with each rock. Finally, the Poké Ball stopped whirring, and with a dull beep, the light in the centre stopped glowing. The Starly had been caught.

Sam smiled, and picked up the Poké Ball, and looked deeply at it, as if looking at the Starly through the Poké Ball. "We'll make a great team, Starly," whispered Sam, "I won't make you regret joining our little family."

"Oh! Family, I like it!" exclaimed Alyssandra.

"You can't be serious," sighed Jeremy in protest, "We're friends, we're good friends, can't we stay that?"

"No!" stated Alyssandra, "We're family; all of us. Our Pokémon, you, me, Sam; everyone! As long as we're travelling, we will be like a family!"

"Why did I agree to this?" asked Jeremy sarcastically, causing Alyssandra to shove him, and stick her tongue out at him.

Sam laughed and stood between his friends, placing his arms around both of their shoulders. "Come on now, _family_ ," he stressed, "Let's not fight, let's get with walking. We're burning daylight with our arguing, so learn to argue and walk or don't argue at all."

As Sam pulled his weight off of his friends, the three of them looked at the long path ahead of them, and scanned the dirt road of Route 202, and it was then that they knew their Pokémon Adventure had truly begun, and as they had so easily taken their first step, they just as easily took their next steps, and began to walk down the path to their futures.


	6. 4 - Catching Contest

~ Chapter 4 ~

Catching Contest

 _"The first night out in the wilderness after having caught Starly, my second Pokémon, was the hardest-for all of us. It wasn't easy to sleep; we weren't accustomed to the outdoors, but we would soon grow into it though, and nowadays I cringe at the idea of having to sleep inside. The best part of the journey, though, the part that made all of that worthwhile at the time, was the knowing that us three, we were true friends; practically family according to Alyssandra. But just like friends, we had our arguments, naturally. However, unlike most people, we settled arguments in a very...unique way, which of course sometimes led to new arguments being started...perhaps we'd never learn..."_

Sam sat himself down on a nearby log, pulling himself close to the recently lit morning fire.

Spring nights were fair, but the mornings were cool; nothing a fire couldn't cure of course.

As Alyssandra cooked breakfast, Sam and Jeremy were discussing plans for the day's trip, and the rest of the trek to Jubilife City.

"So, I'm thinking if we keep on our current course we'll reach Jubilife City in approximately three more days," said Sam as he pointed on the sprawled-out map.

"Well," added Jeremy, "Does that include time to catch Pokémon?"

Sam thought for a second. "Well, if you're fast probably," answered Sam, "You'll have to catch them during our breaks though."

"Yeah, that's if we can find them," complained Jeremy, "Come on, can't you give us some more time? It's not like we're in a rush, we can afford to take some time. Besides, we need to catch up with you."

"What do you mean catch up with me?" asked Sam, affronted.

"Well, you've only been a Pokémon Trainer for two days, and you have more Pokémon than us," said Alyssandra in a matter-of-factly tone.

"That's not my fault," protested Sam, "The Starly was grateful to me, and the Piplup was a gift from Professor Rowan!"

"You could at least give us the chance to go catch our Pokémon!" replied Jeremy, "We need some too. Alyssandra is going to need more than just Piplup to win her contests, and I'm going to need more than Pikachu if I decide to take on the Sinnoh League."

"Jeremy's right!" stated Alyssandra as she dished out some eggs and bacon.

"What do you want me to do?" asked Sam as he bit into the bacon, "Give you two the entire day off to go catch Pokémon?"

"And why not?" asked Jeremy, "We have the time."

"Yes, but we don't have the supplies," pointed out Sam, "If you had wanted to do this you should have told me before when we were shopping at the Poké Mart a few kilometres back. We would've bought more food."

"What, are you afraid we'd catch more Pokémon than you?" asked Jeremy as he placed a fork of eggs in his mouth.

"I'm not afraid!" protested Sam strongly, "I'm just thinking practically!"

"Then give us the day off," replied Jeremy, "I'll ration out the food to make it last if you give us the day off to catch Pokémon."

"Fine, you want it, you got it." Said Sam sternly, "But if you don't catch anything don't come crying to me."

"Shall we make it more interesting then?" asked Jeremy.

"Like how?" asked Alyssandra as she finished off the last bit of her eggs.

"We'll make it a bet," replied Jeremy, "If I lose, I'll never ask for a detour again. If I win, the next travel route is my choice. Those are my terms."

"Fine," replied Sam, "Then if I win, I'll plan every travel route for the rest of the journey, if I lose I'll pay the winner ten thousand Poké-Yen."

"My terms are simple," said Alyssandra with crossed arms, "If I lose, I'll cook dinner for the rest of the journey, but if I win, you boys will have to treat me to a shopping spree in Jubilife City. You will have to pay for everything I buy and carry all my bags."

"Deal," said the three teens in unison.

The group quickly took the time to finish their breakfasts. Once they were finished, each of them began to plan their strategies for catching Pokémon that day.

After washing the dishes, and putting away all the cutlery, Sam and the others gathered around the campfire.

"We'll meet back here at sundown," said Sam, "Whoever catches the most Pokémon wins."

Everyone nodded, and grabbed their Poké Balls, releasing their respective Pokémon.

"All right, you ready, Piplup, Starly?" asked Sam.

His Pokémon cried happily, and Sam smiled with determination. "Let's go then!"

Sam, Alyssandra and Jeremy dashed off in separate directions, determined to be the winner of the competition.

Three hours into the competition and Jeremy was close to giving up. He hadn't seen a single Pokémon all day, and he had tried everything from smearing the trees in honey to dropping Pokémon food all over the ground; neither tactics worked.

"I dunno, Pikachu," said Jeremy with a sigh as he sat down on the ground, "Maybe we're trying too hard?"

"Pika," said Pikachu in a similar tone.

"We can't let Sam or Lyss win though," continued Jeremy, "We need to beat them. After I ran my mouth on like that, I need to prove I'm the best at catching Pokémon."

"Pika?" asked Pikachu in a sincere-or at least it seemed sincere-tone.

"It's a matter of pride, Pikachu," said Jeremy, "You know?"

"Piiika-Pikachu," said the Pikachu reassuringly.

Suddenly, Pikachu's ears shot up, and it sniffed the air, as if something was happening.

"What's up Pikachu?" asked Jeremy as he stood up, "Is it friend or foe?"

Pikachu didn't respond, but it continued to sniff the air diligently. Suddenly, a black blur shot out of the nearby trees and launched itself at Pikachu. Pikachu managed to dodge, but just barely.

As the blur came to a halt, it revealed itself to be a Starly, and an angry one at that.

"This is our chance Pikachu!" exclaimed Jeremy in excitement, "This Starly's fast, it'll be a good partner to join us."

"Pi-ka!" cried Pikachu fiercely as he released a bit of electricity from its cheeks.

The Starly angrily stretched its wings and flew at Pikachu again.

"Dodge Pikachu!" shouted Jeremy instantly. Pikachu dodged the Starly's attempts at attack and landed back on the ground again.

"Try a Thunder Shock attack, Pikachu!" said Jeremy.

Pikachu planted itself on all for legs and released a jolt of electricity from its body. The wave of lightning shot at Starly at amazing speeds, and struck it head on.

The Starly cried in pain, but quickly broke free of the Thunder Shock, and charged at Pikachu again with a Wing Attack.

"Dodge!" shouted Jeremy, but it was too late, the Starly already struck Pikachu, causing it to fly back across the clearing.

"Starly!" cried the Starly.

"Pikachu!" exclaimed Jeremy with concern, "Are you okay?"

Pikachu quickly got itself up, and gave a short, angry cry.

"Good!" said Jeremy with relief, "Can you give it one more Thunder Shock? And put everything into it this time. The Starly is starting to tire, and I think if we give it one more shot it'll go down."

Pikachu nodded with understanding, it began to charge its electricity and with a loud cry, it released a giant wave of electricity.

Starly was hit in the discharge, and after an electric shock, hit the ground cold.

Jeremy smiled. "Now's my chance," he said happily, "Go, Poké Ball!"

The Poké Ball flew through the air, and hit the Starly, and as it did, it retracted the Starly inside with a red beam of light. The Poké Ball shook violently, as the Starly vehemently tried to break free, but soon the Poké Ball fell still, and with a final beep and one last blink of the centre light, the Starly was caught.

"All right!" shouted Jeremy, "We did it Pikachu!"

"Pi-Pikachu!" exclaimed Pikachu as it ran towards Jeremy and ran up his body onto his shoulder.

As Jeremy collected the Poké Ball, he smiled deeply at it, knowing—for the second time in his life—what it felt like to catch a Pokémon on his own.

"I caught my first Pokémon," he said with excitement, "All right Pikachu, let's go get another one!"

"Pika!" shouted Pikachu in agreement, and with that, the two partners ran off into the woods in search of more Pokémon.

Meanwhile, Alyssandra was on the hot trail of a wild Shinx, with Sam close behind her.

The two of them—both wanting to add a Shinx to their roster—had been following a pack of wild Shinx in an attempt to catch one of them, however their previous attempts had proved unsuccessful, as their mother—an angry Luxray—was always too close for them to attempt anything.

However, after almost an entire day of tracking, it seemed that mother Luxray was nowhere to be seen. Sam and Alyssandra knew this was their chance.

"I'll take the one on the left, you take the one on the right," Alyssandra whispered to Sam.

Sam nodded. "All right, let's go!"

Sam and Alyssandra ran out into the clearing, catching the two Shinx off guard. Unfortunately, both Sam and Alyssandra knew this battle would be harder than it looked, as both of their Pokémon were at a disadvantage against the Shinx. Their Piplup and Sam's Starly were Water and Flying types respectively, meaning that against an Electric type like Shinx, things were going to be tough.

Alyssandra dashed to the left, sending her Piplup at the Shinx. "Piplup, use Pound!" she called instantly, attempting to strike at the Shinx before it unleashed an electric attack.

Sam meanwhile, got creative with his technique, and commanded Piplup to jump into the air above the Shinx and use Pound from above.

Both of the Piplups' attacks landed, striking their respective targets square on, but the two Shinx would not let up so easy.

Alyssandra's opponent retaliated with a Tackle attack, knocking her Piplup back a few paces.

While Sam's opponent used a Leer attack to freeze his Piplup in place, leaving it open for Shinx's Tackle.

"Piplup are you, all right?!" Sam cried out, worried for his Pokémon.

His and Alyssandra's Piplup stood up, still determined to fight, causing both Sam's and Alyssandra's morale to return to normal.

"All right, time to get creative," smiled Sam, "Piplup, if that Shinx wants to play rough, we'll play rough. Charge at it and keep using Pound until it's tired out!"

Alyssandra looked over at Sam, wondering how he was going to pull that off without Shinx retaliating. Turning back to her Piplup, Alyssandra figured she might as well attempt the same thing as Sam, as she had no other plans currently.

"Piplup! Do the same thing!" shouted Alyssandra, "Trust me!"

As both Piplup charged toward their marks, they began to use Pound repeatedly on the Shinx.

The speed of the two Piplup was remarkable, and almost unbelievable. Their attacks were unrelenting, never giving the Shinx a chance to respond.

Finally, after what might've been at least thirty Pound attacks, Sam and Alyssandra called off their Piplup.

The two Shinx were now exhausted and had sustained heavy damage; a single Pound may not do too much, but almost thirty will definitely do some damage. The two Shinx lay on the ground, injured and unable to fight back from exhaustion.

Sam and Alyssandra drew their own Poké Balls and tossed it at the Shinx.

The Poké Balls sucked in the two Pokémon, and barely shook before the Pokémon gave up the fight and were caught.

"That didn't take long," said Alyssandra as she walked over to her newly caught Shinx.

"Well, they did take heavy damage from my manoeuvre," explained Sam, "They didn't have much energy left to fight back. Especially if they're as young as they look."

Alyssandra put her Shinx away on her Poké Ball Belt, and then turned to Sam, who had just finished doing the same.

They looked at each other for a moment of pause before Sam finally broke the silence.

"We should split up now," he said, "We're still competing after all."

"Yeah," agreed Alyssandra quickly, "We're not tracking the same Pokémon anymore, so, I'll see you later then."

Sam nodded, and with that, the two teens ran off in separate directions, ready to catch more Pokémon.

Sam threw himself down onto the log that served as a fireside seat, exhausted from all his Pokémon searching.

It was only a half hour until sundown, but the group had returned to camp early, as most Pokémon had gone off to their dens to sleep by now.

As Jeremy and Alyssandra joined him, the three of them began to prepare their catches for comparison.

"So, what did you all catch?" asked Jeremy, placing the Poké Ball that contained his Starly on the stump that had been placed in front of the three of them, "I caught a Starly."

Sam and Alyssandra both pulled out their Poké Balls containing Shinx.

"We've both got Shinx," said Alyssandra.

Jeremy creased his brow in disbelief. "That means we've all only got one Pokémon," he said.

Sam nodded solemnly. "Yup," he replied, "So how are we going to decide a tie breaker?"

"Maybe we could—" Sam was cut off as he felt something whack his Poké Ball Belt. Sam turned around and saw a Glameow violently pawing at his Starly's Poké Ball. Sam instantly recognized the Glameow as the one that had attacked his Starly back at Lake Verity, apparently it had followed them all the way here from Twinleaf Town just to get another shot at the Starly.

Sam ran forward, ready to shoo the animal away, but was stopped by Alyssandra.

"This one's mine," said Alyssandra with a look of challenge on her face. She picked up Shinx's Poké Ball, and tossed it in the air, releasing the Pokémon from its capsule.

"Ready for our first battle together Shinx?" asked Alyssandra.

The Shinx reluctantly cried, but understood its duty to Alyssandra, and Alyssandra knew the bond between them would only grow over time.

"All right, Shinx," she said, "Start off with a Tackle attack! Try to weaken that Glameow!"

However, the Glameow was too fast, and struck at Shinx with a Fake Out. Glameow clapped its paws together, causing Shinx to flinch, and then fly backwards as a gust of air sent it back.

"Shinx!" called Alyssandra, worry beginning to set over her.

Sam put his hand on her shoulder. "Keep a cool head," he said calmly, "You may be a Coordinator, but when you need to battle, that's one of the secrets to success."

Alyssandra nodded, enjoying the calming effect of Sam's advice, then quickly changed her tone. "All right, Shinx," said Alyssandra, "Try a Tackle attack again!"

The Shinx charged at Glameow, but again it retaliated too fast. Glameow's eyes started to glow, and Shinx paused in its tracks as Glameow's Hypnosis took effect.

Alyssandra began to panic inside but kept repeating Sam's words to herself calm her down. She used the time the attack took to come up with a plan, it was a little underhanded, but it worked.

"Hey, Glameow!" shouted Alyssandra.

Glameow took the bait, and looked over at Alyssandra, cutting off its Hypnosis attack.

Alyssandra quickly acted on that window of opportunity to use Shinx to strike. "Now, Shinx, use Tackle!" she shouted.

"Shinx!" shouted her Shinx with confidence, throwing itself full force into the Glameow.

Glameow tumbled backwards and was knocked onto the ground.

As the Glameow attempted to get back up, Alyssandra struck again. "Shinx, jump up and use Tackle on Glameow from the air!"

The Shinx did as Alyssandra told it and slammed full force—with its entire weight and gravity behind it—causing the Glameow to fall back to the ground. Alyssandra pulled a Poké Ball from her shoulder bag, scrambling to throw it before the Pokémon got back up.

The Poké Ball hit Glameow, retracting it back into the Poké Ball. As the Poké Ball hit the ground and closed, it rocked violently—the most rocking Alyssandra had seen so far in a Poké Ball—and even seemed to rattle as if about to break open several times.

Finally, after much struggling and fighting, the Glameow surrendered, and the Pokémon was caught.

"All right! I did it!" said Alyssandra as she ran and grabbed her Poké Ball. Alyssandra then turned to her Shinx and picked it up in her arms, hugging it close and snuggling up against its cheek.

"You did great, Shinx!" she exclaimed, "I'm so proud of you!"

"Shinx!" said the Shinx with glee, revelling in its skills as a battler.

Alyssandra then turned back towards Sam and Jeremy, a wide grin across her face. "So," she said smiling, "You have your tiebreaker then? I guess that means you guys owe me a shopping spree in Jubilife."

"Hold up!" protested Jeremy, "There is _no_ way that counts! We finished the contest!"

"Not quite, Jeremy," she explained, "If I remember correctly, the deadline was sundown, and it's not sundown yet."

"That's not fair!" he protested, "That can't be fair! Sam, tell me that's not fair!"

Sam sighed. "I'm sorry," he said, "It's fair. She won, and now we have to do what she says in Jubilife."

"Here," said Sam as he handed Alyssandra a roll of Poké-Yen, "If I remember correctly I owe that to the winner."

"No way!" argued Jeremy as he stormed back towards the fire, "I _refuse_ to acknowledge this, I demand a recount!"

"What recount?" asked Alyssandra as she followed Jeremy back to camp, "You caught one Pokémon, I caught two. How do you honestly need to recount that?"

Sam sighed, and laughed a bit to himself as he looked up at the orange sky. "This is going to be one long adventure," he chuckled to himself. Sam then turned around, still laughing on the inside, and grinning wide on the outside, and followed his friends back to camp.


	7. 5 - The Lost Turtwig

~ Chapter 5 ~

The Lost Turtwig

" _Travel got easier as time went on. We enjoyed the time outdoors, and we learned a lot of about each other and ourselves. It's funny, how you can know someone your entire life, and learn so many new things about them all the time, even after these years. For example, Alyssandra had a secret crush on someone from our hometown—she wouldn't say who though—or that Jeremy's grandmother was the former Sinnoh League Champion before Cynthia—I've only met her once, but she_ **was** _quite the hardened women. Of course, one of the biggest things we learned was that not all wild Pokémon are good, in fact most of them are lost or confused. At least that was the case with the Turtwig we found…"_

Jeremy exited his tent, a confused and worried look on his face.

"Hey, what's up?" asked Sam, noticing something off about him.

"Everything okay?" inquired Alyssandra.

Jeremy shook his head. "No," he replied hurriedly, "I can't find my Pokétch, have you guys seen it?"

Sam and Alyssandra shook their heads and looked over at their Pokémon who were eating.

Pikachu, the two Piplup, the two Starly and the two Shinx looked back, but also shook their heads.

"Well that concludes that search," said Sam, "Maybe you just left it somewhere in your tent?"

Jeremy shook his head as he sat down and ladled himself some oatmeal. "No, I remember clearly putting it in my backpack last night," he said, "And now it's gone, and I searched the tent and it's not there."

Alyssandra finished off her oatmeal and then looked over at Jeremy. "Well," she said, "I hate to say it, but if you can't find it then it's probably lost."

"I know it's lost," said Jeremy as he blew on his oatmeal to cool it, "That's why I'm trying to find it."

"Jeremy, she means that it's _gone_ lost," explained Sam as he gently began to clean his bowl and spoon in the nearby river, "You'll have to get a new one."

"I don't want to get a new one," said Jeremy defiantly, "That was a special Pokétch, I refuse to believe it's just lost. Alyssandra will you help me look?"

Alyssandra looked down at her empty bowl and then to Sam.

Sam sighed. "Yeah, go on. I'll clean the bowl," he said.

Alyssandra walked over to Sam, and handed him the bowl, then walked into the tent with Jeremy to help him look for the Pokétch.

Sam smiled slightly as he started washing and rinsing the plate, and Jeremy's as well. Alyssandra could have asked him to commit murder and he would have done it; he had always been sweet on her. But now he knew how she felt about him, she was just his friend. She had a crush on someone back in their hometown, and who knows who that could've been. There were lots of other kids in Twinleaf Town, for all Sam knew it could've been someone who had gone off on a Pokémon Journey long before Sam and his friends had.

Sam sighed, he knew he would have to move on, but it would take time, and he knew that too.

"Piplup?" asked Sam's Piplup as it placed the three, food bowls down beside him, "Piplup Pip?"

Sam turned around and smiled at Piplup, who was soon joined by Shinx and Starly.

"Shinx!" mewed the Shinx as he brushed up against Sam's leg, while Sam's Starly flew around his head and landed on his shoulder.

"Starly!" It cried.

"Hey, you guys," he said, "How was breakfast? Did you like it?"

The three Pokémon nodded, and with a smile, Sam patted them on the head.

"I'm sorry, Jeremy," said Alyssandra and she and Jeremy exited the tent, "You're just going to have to get a new one. We've searched the entire tent and it's not there."

"But it has to be!" argued Jeremy, "A Pokétch doesn't just get up and walk away!"

Sam sighed as his two friends argued, then went into his own tent, looking for his jacket; Sam never went anywhere without his jacket, it was his signature.

But as Sam slid on his jacket he paused. Something was wrong. The jacket felt off…lighter. Like a mad man he felt around through his pockets. Sam swore to himself as he dashed from the tent.

"It's gone," he said with great panic, "It's all gone. We've been robbed!"

Alyssandra turned around to Sam and rolled her eyes. "Not you too!" she groaned, "Did you lose your Pokétch too?"

Sam shook his head. "No, not my Pokétch," he said with desperation, "My money— _our_ money! All of the money I was carrying on me is gone!"

"How much was it?" asked Jeremy, with a similar concern.

"Ninety thousand Poké-Yen," said Sam, "That was supposed to last us until at least the end of our stay in Jubilife City—it _was_ supposed to last longer, but with Alyssandra's shopping spree…anyway! Not the point!"

"That's not good," said Alyssandra, who quickly dashed into her tent to see if anything was missing.

At first, she sighed; realizing the money she had won from Sam was tucked safely away in her backpack, but soon screamed as she realized her Trainer Card was gone.

"My Trainer Card!" she shouted as she ran from the tent, "It's gone! Someone must've stolen it!"

"See?! What did I tell you?!" said Jeremy, "I didn't lose my Pokétch, Sam didn't lose his money, and you didn't lose your Trainer Card. Someone, or something, stole them!"

"All right, all right, we believe you now!" exclaimed Sam, "Now all we need to do is calm down and find out who took our stuff."

"Easier said than done," said Alyssandra with crossed arms.

"We're probably the only people around for miles," frowned Sam, "If it was someone who stole our stuff, they're probably long gone by now. Besides wouldn't we have noticed a person sneaking into camp?"

"Not unless it was a person using a stealthy Pokémon like a Weavile, or a Sneasel or something like that," added Jeremy conversely, "Now let's just start searching the area, and maybe we can—"

Jeremy was cut off as the Pokémon started freaking out.

Sam and the others wheeled around just in time to see a small flash of green dash off into the bushes with the group's supply of food.

"The food!" shouted the three friends in unison.

"It _was_ a Pokémon!" exclaimed Alyssandra, "But what kind?"

Sam shrugged as he ran over to the bush. "I'm not sure, but it moves fast, and it was green, maybe a Grass type?"

Jeremy started to sift through the bushes but found nothing. With a determined look he turned back to the others. "We need to find it, whatever it is!" he said, "It stole all of our stuff, and now all of our food!"

"We should split up to cover more ground," said Alyssandra, "Each of us will take their Pokémon and go looking for whatever took our stuff, we'll meet back here in two hours if we haven't found anything."

"And what if we do find something?" asked Sam, "We have no way of contacting each other. These are Pokétch, not Xtransceivers or PokéNavs."

"Simple," said Jeremy, "We'll send up a signal with our Pokémon. Or we just battle the little runt ourselves if it really _is_ a Pokémon."

Sam and Alyssandra nodded, and ran off into the forest, with Jeremy and their Pokémon close behind.

Sam sighed as he turned a corner in the forest's path. "It feels like we've passed by this same tree three times," said Sam as he examined the area around him.

"Piplup…" said Piplup in a befuddled agreement.

"Shinx…" added Shinx in a similar tone.

"So, should we push forward or head back to camp?" asked Sam.

His Pokémon replied with very doubtful and worried cries.

"I suppose you're right," concluded Sam, "If we're lost there's no telling which way is back. So, I suppose we may as well push on then."

Sam took a step forward but stopped as he noticed something standing in the middle of the path.

It was small, and it was green, and had a hardened brown shell and two leaves sprouting from the top of his head. Sam recognized it instantly as a Turtwig, one of the Starter Pokémon of the Sinnoh Region.

"Hey, look, a Turtwig!" said Sam to his Pokémon, "I didn't know there were any out in the wild. All the Turtwig in the Sinnoh Region are raised at the family ranch, but that's a long way from here. Maybe this one is feral; an escapee from the ranch or a Trainer?"

Sam suddenly remembered the small green flash that disappeared into the bush.

"Hey! I wonder," said Sam, thinking aloud, "It's definitely the right size."

Slowly, Sam approached the Turtwig, hoping not to scare it or provoke it in any way.

"Hey there," said Sam softly, "How are you Turtwig?"

Sam reached into his pocket and pulled out some Pokémon food, which he stored in there in case any of his Pokémon got hungry during their travels. "Do you want some Pokémon food?"

Initially the Turtwig showed interest, sniffing Sam's hand for any sign of danger, but things soon turned ugly as the Turtwig changed its mood and bit down on Sam's fingers. It was a small nip, but enough to send Sam back, howling with pain. He had remembered his uncle's words from his last summer at the ranch and they rang through his head almost as vivid as his pain.

" _Turtwig are strong little Pokémon. They may not look like much, but their jaws pack a punch in a pinch. They bite down hard on anything they think will hurt them, and their bites hurt. Sometimes it's just a small nip, a warning bite, other times…well…let's just say we've had assistants that have lost fingers because of these little guys."_

Sam wrapped his hand in his jacket tightly and looked at Turtwig.

The small Pokémon had prepared to battle Sam and his Pokémon, with its body sunk low in a stance and its head lowered slightly.

Sam smiled. "So that's how you want to play," he said, "You definitely don't strike like that unless you have something to hide. Piplup, release a Bubble into the air and signal the others, Shinx help protect Piplup while it signals the others, we don't know if Turtwig is acting alone. Starly, Turtwig is a Grass type Pokémon, we'll have the advantage if you fight against it."

"Starly!" said Starly with determination as it flew out in front of Sam to confront Turtwig.

"All right, Starly, start off with a Wing Attack!" Sam commanded confidently.

"Starly!" cried Starly, dashing towards Turtwig, its wings white with energy.

However, Turtwig did not move, and made no attempt at trying to dodge.

"What's going—?" started Sam, but quickly realized Turtwig was anticipating an attack so it could counter attack. "Starly, it's a trap, pull back!"

But it was too late, Turtwig waited until the last second, and struck back at Starly with a Tackle, sending Starly bouncing back.

"Starly, are you okay?" called Sam.

Sam's Starly nodded, and quickly bounced back up; but despite its determination, it was obvious that Starly had taken heavy damage from the Tackle.

Turtwig was strong, and there was no denying it.

"Starly, try a Wing Attack one more time, but this time, zigzag so it doesn't see you coming!" said Sam, thinking strictly about strategy this time.

Starly charged forward again with its wings outstretched, flying at top speed.

"Good, now keep an eye on it, make sure it doesn't trick us again!" said Sam with great confidence. Sam was sure this attack would land; there was no way it wouldn't. And yet he was wrong.

Just as Starly was coming in for a strike from the left, the Turtwig turned and released a red beam at Starly. Sam recognized the attack as Absorb, which drained another Pokémon of its energy and gave it to the user.

"Starly!" cried Sam, but it was too late, Starly was drained of its energy, and hit the ground unconscious.

Sam pulled out Starly's Poké Ball and released the red ray of light. "Starly, return," he said, "Have a nice, long rest, you've earned it."

Sam looked back at his Shinx and his Piplup as he placed Starly's Poké Ball back in his belt, neither of them had the advantage over Turtwig, but they were all he had left. Maybe if Piplup could avoid Turtwig's attacks enough to land a Peck attack—no that still wouldn't work.

While Sam desperately scrambled to come up with a strategy, the Turtwig ran off into the forest, too fast for Sam to catch it.

Sam skidded to a halt at the edge of the forest, not wanting to run in there without a sense of direction, not to mention without meeting up with Alyssandra and Jeremy; he had just sent a signal to call them there.

Sam sat himself down on the ground, disappointment and shame running through him.

He descended from great Pokémon Trainers, and he lost to a Turtwig; even if it was one of his primary battles during his Trainer career, it was still painful to his ego.

Sam didn't have long to dwell on his thoughts though, as Alyssandra and Jeremy quickly dashed out of the nearby trees, completely exhausted and out of breath.

"What's up?" asked Jeremy between gasps for air, "Did you find something?"

"I _did_ ," said Sam with a hint of defeat still in his voice, "It _was_ a Pokémon that stole our stuff."

"Really?" asked Alyssandra, "Did you get our stuff? What Pokémon did it?"

"It was a Turtwig," said Sam, "But I wasn't able to get anything back, I'm sorry. I tried battling it with Starly, but it was strong. It knocked Starly out and ran off in that direction."

Jeremy shrugged. "Don't worry about it," he smiled, "I've known you for a long time, and I know you did the best you could. If that Turtwig beat you it's because it's stronger, not because you're incapable as a Trainer. It's probably best that you let it run off in fact, because if we follow it the way if fled we may wind up back at its nest. That's probably where it's keeping our things."

Sam smiled, Jeremy always knew when something was bugging Sam, and he always seemed to know the right thing to make him feel at ease about whatever it was that was bugging him.

"Come on," said Alyssandra with a fervent desire to get back her stuff, "Let's go!"

Jeremy, Sam and Alyssandra and all their Pokémon emerged from the forest after almost an hour of walking and found themselves in a large clearing with a very large tree in the centre.

"You think this is where Turtwig's nest is?" asked Alyssandra.

"It has to be. Look." Said Sam as he pointed to a small hole at the base of the tree.

The three teens dashed forward to the tree and tore through the nest. As they dug, they found the bag of food, Alyssandra's Trainer Card, Jeremy's Pokétch and all of Sam's money, as well as other valuables such as necklaces and rings.

"Jeez," said Jeremy in amazement as he started cramming all of the extra stuff in his bag, "I've never heard of Turtwig behaving like this. They don't normally hoard things."

"I know, but why are you taking it?" asked Sam, "We have what we came for."

"I just figured we could leave it at the Pokémon Centre up the way," said Jeremy, "If people are looking for these things then they'll be able to get them back."

"That's kind of you," said Alyssandra as she stood up and dusted herself off, nestling her Trainer Card back in her bag, "I'm sure people will be grateful for it."

"Yeah and hopefully they give out rewards for the return of their items," smiled Jeremy with a greedy look on his face.

Alyssandra rolled her eyes. "Just when I thought I should be proud of you," she sighed.

"Well we need to pay Sam back somehow," argued Jeremy; "I intend to pay him back for every Poké-Yen he spends."

Sam rolled his eyes. "I'm not taking your money, idiot. You don't need to pay me back. Besides this money is practically burning a hole in my pocket."

Jeremy was about to argue back when a Turtwig appeared out of the bush.

Sam recognized it as the Turtwig from before and wasted no time in pointing it out. "That's the Turtwig that stole our stuff!"

The Turtwig prepared to charge but stopped, as it noticed its emptied stash, suddenly, its angered composure became composure of fear.

"Turtwig!" cried the Turtwig as he backed away slowly.

Sam had never heard it speak before, but he knew that the Turtwig must be really afraid to start speaking now.

"Wait!" said Sam, "It's scared. Here, Turtwig, do you want some Pokémon food? It's the same as before."

The Turtwig stiffened a bit, remembering how it bit Sam last time.

"Don't worry," said Jeremy as he took the Pokémon food from Sam's hands, "We're not mad, we won't hurt you."

Jeremy slowly approached the Turtwig, who seemed much calmer as Jeremy approached it.

"You must be lonely huh?" asked Jeremy, "I noticed on the way here how few Pokémon come this close to this tree. There aren't many this deep in the forest are there?"

"What is he—?" asked Alyssandra, but Sam shushed her, interested in what Jeremy was going to do next.

"That's why you took the stuff, isn't it Turtwig?" asked Jeremy as he inched closer to Turtwig, "You wanted people to come after you, so you could have people to play with, but no one ever came, did they? Until now."

Jeremy bent down, and held out his hand with the Pokémon food, waiting for Turtwig to take a bite.

There was tension in the air, as Alyssandra and Sam were standing by in case the Turtwig attacked or bit Jeremy instead. Then, finally, after waiting for several minutes, the Turtwig began to eat the food, with a wide smile on its face.

"Turtwig!" it cried happily, continuing to eat.

"There you are," smiled Jeremy, "You're really nice after all, just a bit lonely. Hey, I got an idea! Would you like to come travel with my friends and I? You'd be perfect for us, plus, you'd be able to have friends to travel with. You'd love all of our Pokémon!"

The Turtwig smiled. "Turtwig! Turtwig, Turtwig!" it cried ecstatically.

"All right, here goes then," said Jeremy confidently as he pulled out a Poké Ball, "I'm going to catch you now, all right?"

The Turtwig didn't reply, but merely stood there, waiting to be caught.

The Poké Ball was thrown, and the Turtwig was absorbed into it by a red light. The Poké Ball barely shook before the Turtwig was caught—one of the fastest catches any of them had seen yet.

"Well, that all ended happily," smiled Alyssandra, "I'm proud of you again, Jeremy."

"Well," said Jeremy, "It's not fun to live alone and not have friends. I remember each summer when you and Sam would leave Twinleaf Town for a month, and I'd be alone with no one else to play with. I wouldn't wish that upon any other person or Pokémon, so I could relate with the Turtwig. But now it'll never be alone again."

"That was kind of you," smiled Sam, "And wise. Now let's get going, we've spent a lot of time here and we're going to fall off schedule again."

"You and your schedule," groaned Alyssandra, "Honestly Sam, let's just lighten up and have fun."

Jeremy laughed as he, his friends, and their Pokémon left the forest clearing to head back to camp and was never gladder to have them as friends.


	8. 6 - Pokemon Battle Royale

~ Chapter 6 ~

Pokémon Battle Royale

" _As a Trainer, it is essential to battle other Trainers. It's not only a good way to help make your Pokémon stronger, or get them to evolve, but it's also great for the bonding relationship between Trainer and Pokémon. In a Pokémon battle, a Trainer must learn to trust in their Pokémon, and must have complete confidence in them. A Trainer and Pokémon must act as one, and both must learn to keep a level head. We learned this on our own, and over time, but it started on the day we decided to challenge each other to our first battles ever…"_

The group yawned in succession as they stretched out on the cool spring grass.

They had stopped on a shady hillside for their morning break and were enjoying a bit of relaxation after walking for hours.

Alyssandra had a Poké Ball in her hand and raised it up to the sky above her and stared at it.

"I can't believe it," she smiled, "I caught my fourth Pokémon! This Pachirisu was so cute, I just had to!"

"Looks like we'll need to start catching more to keep up," laughed Sam, "Of course, you know we'll need to start making a decision about which Pokémon to carry with us and which to leave with Professor Rowan."

"What do you mean?" asked Alyssandra.

Jeremy sat up and stretched. "He's referring to the Pokémon Trainer rules," he explained, "We learned them back in Trainer School, remember? One of the rules of being a Pokémon Trainer is that you can only carry a maximum of six Pokémon with you at a single time."

"Well, you seem to forget that I'm not a Pokémon _Trainer_ ; I'm a Pokémon _Coordinator_ ," emphasized Alyssandra, "I don't need to follow that rule."

"The woman speaks the truth," laughed Sam, "But, Lyss, do you really want to carry around every Poké Ball of every Pokémon you catch? You'll be too weighed down."

Alyssandra thought for a moment and nodded. "Yeah, I suppose," she said, "But how do I decide which Pokémon to keep with me and which to send to Professor Rowan?"

Jeremy lay back down and stared at the clouds. "You just do," he said, "Pick which Pokémon you like best, and those are the ones you keep. The catches that mean the most to you usually."

"I see," said Alyssandra, "That's kind of helpful. Well, do I have to decide right now?"

"No, not now," said Sam as he stood up and brushed the grass off him, "But soon. There's a Pokémon Centre just up the road, maybe you can decide then."

"Oh, thank goodness!" cried Jeremy, "I love camping, don't get me wrong, but nothing quite compares to a mattress and pillow."

Alyssandra and Sam laughed, and everyone stood up and prepared to keep walking.

"You know, that reminds me," said Jeremy as the three of them reached the bottom of the hill and started back on the road, "I want to battle you guys. I'm serious, we haven't had proper Trainer versus Trainer battles yet, and I think now is a good time to start."

Sam thought for a moment, and then responded. "I agree," he said, "That'll be a good way to bond with my Pokémon, and it'll give me a chance to show you guys who the better Trainer is."

"Yeah, me," said Alyssandra with a wink, "I'm going to win, and you all know it."

"Yeah, yeah, keep dreaming," said Jeremy, "I'm going to win; don't you worry."

"We'll see," smiled Sam, "Hey, you know, we can have Nurse Joy judge the match."

"Does that mean we'll all be battling at once?" asked Alyssandra, "How is that possible?"

"You'll known when we get there," said Sam, "Come on, it's not much farther."

Sam placed his stuff down by the door as he entered the Pokémon Centre and walked over to the videophones and transport machines.

"All right, so who to call first?" asked Sam, "Professor Rowan or our families?"

After a few seconds of thought, they agreed on Professor Rowan.

Sam dialled in the number, and after a few rings, came face to face with the old Professor.

"Ah, kids!" he said, "How nice to see you! How is your trip so far? Having fun?"

The three nodded in unison.

"Yeah," said Sam, "We're really getting a hang of this Pokémon Trainer thing. We've caught a few Pokémon as well, in fact that's why we called you."

"Excellent to hear," smiled the Professor proudly, "Now what's this about Pokémon?"

"We'd like to send you a few Pokémon," said Jeremy, "Ones that we've caught but don't want to carry with us. Is that okay?"

"That's perfectly fine!" said Professor Rowan, "I will study them while you're out travelling, but I only have so much room here, so you may need to find an alternative eventually."

Sam nodded. "I already have one," he said, "You are familiar with the Accardi Pokémon Ranch?"

Professor Rowan nodded. "Yes, the one run by your family," he answered, "They supply me all of the Starter Pokémon I give out. What about them?"

"I'd like you to send the Pokémon there once you're finished studying them," said Sam, "That should save you some space, and my family has more than enough room for it."

"That's an excellent idea," exclaimed Professor Rowan, "You'll be able to stop by at any time, and it won't cost you a thing. Plus, I know your Uncle Peter; he'd be more than willing to take on a few new faces. Which Ranch shall I send them to?"

"The Sinnoh Ranch, please," said Sam.

Professor Rowan nodded. "Very well, I shall pass along the message before I send them," he said, "Well, I'd best be off, I have to help Pascal with an experiment of his, just transport your Pokémon over, and they'll be stored in my PC. I'll pick them up once I'm finished. Good bye kids, and good luck on your travels!"

With that, Professor Rowan was gone, and the videophone shut off again.

The three teens looked at each other, not sure who would give up which Pokémon.

"I'm good with my current roster," said Sam.

"As am I," added Jeremy.

"You two are making _me_ give up _my_ Pokémon, and you're not even going to give away yours?" complained Alyssandra.

"We're not giving them away," said Sam, "We're letting them be studied, besides, we have our parties planned. We know we want these current Pokémon in our permanent parties, what about you?"

"Well, I…I mean," started Alyssandra, "I have put a _little_ thought into it.'

"Excellent," said Sam, "So which Pokémon are you transferring?"

Alyssandra sighed and pulled two Poké Balls from her ball belt. "I suppose Glameow and Pachirisu," she said, "Glameow would just try to attack Sam's Starly—not to mention he used to be a stray, he'd be happier having room to roam around—and Pachirisu, cute as it is, isn't what I planned for a permanent party."

Alyssandra placed the two Pokémon in the transporter, typed in the address and pushed the button; in a flash, the Poké Balls were gone.

"Well, now I'm a Pokémon shorter than you guys," she said, "So I hope you are ready to battle two on two."

"That's fair enough, I suppose," said Jeremy, "A battle is a battle, and it's not a fair battle unless it's equal."

"Oh! Let's call home before we forget," said Sam as he finally remembered, "Our families will want to hear from us; we promised to call at the next Pokémon Centre."

"Then can we battle?" asked Jeremy with glee.

"Yes, now hush," hissed Alyssandra as Sam dialled in the number.

The phone rang several times but hung itself up in the end.

"Huh, I guess no one's home," said Sam, "Well, they could just be outside in the garden. You know how your mother and my grandmother love to garden."

"Yeah, that's true," agreed Jeremy, "Well, shall we have our battle now?"

"Yeah," said Sam, "But before we do, let's say we make it interesting."

"What do you mean?" asked Alyssandra.

"A three way, two on two Pokémon battle," explained Sam, "We all fight each other, and we are each allowed to use two Pokémon."

"I'm game," nodded Jeremy, "Alyssandra?"

"Well, it does sound fun," she said, "All right, I'm in."

The group ran over to the counter where Nurse Joy stood, hoping to get her to proctor their match.

"Nurse Joy," started Alyssandra, "Could you please judge our Pokémon battle?"

"I would love to," smiled the Nurse Joy, "Just go around to our practice field out back, I'll meet you there."

"You guys have a practice battlefield out there?" asked Sam.

"Well this is usually one of the first stops for Trainers when they start their Pokémon Journeys," explained Nurse Joy, "So many Trainers want to battle each other, and I've been asked so many times to be the judge, so I just had a battlefield built outside."

"I'm definitely liking this Pokémon Centre," said Jeremy as the group walked out of the Pokémon Centre.

"Well, enjoy it while it lasts, we're only here for the night," teased Alyssandra.

Alyssandra, Sam and Jeremy walked out, and each took a different position on the circle.

"I guess we're not the only ones who have decided to have a three-way battle," pointed out Sam as he examined the four separate standing areas on the circular field.

"Yeah," agreed Alyssandra, "This field can take up to a four-way match.

"I'd love to try _that_ one day," smiled Jeremy, "That will definitely be a battle for the history books."

"We lack a fourth person," Sam reminded Jeremy, "Unless any of you have a clone I don't know about?"

Alyssandra opened her mouth as if to speak, and possibly add something to the conversation, but she stopped as she noticed Nurse Joy approaching the battlefield.

"I hope I didn't keep you waiting," she said, "So this will be a three-way battle then I assume? How many Pokémon will you each be using?"

"We want to have a two on two three-way battle, if that's all right?" asked Sam.

Nurse Joy nodded in understanding. "That's a very rare request, but it's possible. Shall we start then?"

Sam and the others nodded, taking their positions and each drawing two of their Poké Balls.

"The match between Alyssandra, Sam and Jeremy of Twinleaf Town will now begin!" announced Nurse Joy, "Trainers, release your Pokémon and start the match!"

Sam wasted no time and tossed his two Poké Balls up in the air. "Shinx, Piplup, go!" he said as he caught the two empty Poké Balls and placed them back in his ball belt.

Jeremy gave a small smile as he threw his two Poké Balls, releasing Starly and Turtwig, while Alyssandra sent out her Piplup and Shinx as well.

Sam raised a brow in surprise as he saw Jeremy's choice of Pokémon. "I thought you would use Pikachu," he noted.

Jeremy laughed. "I've put a lot of work into Pikachu, but I haven't yet had a chance to use Starly or Turtwig," he explained.

Alyssandra quickly interjected into the conversation. "Let's save the talk for later ladies!" she exclaimed, "Piplup, use Peck on Turtwig! Shinx, use Spark on Starly!"

Jeremy reacted quickly, keeping a level head. "Starly dodge and use Wing Attack on Shinx! And Turtwig, dodge and use Bite on Piplup!"

Starly was fast enough to dodge the Spark, and maneuverer itself to land a critical strike on Shinx with its Wing Attack. Even if its Flying type moves didn't have as great effect on the Electric type Shinx, it was clear that Shinx took some damaged from the attack.

Turtwig on the other hand was not as fast as Starly and was hit with Piplup's Peck.

Sam was about to get into the fray, when a thought occurred to him. He could become the victor of this if he waited patiently and attacked at the right time. He would expend minimal energy and effort and not to mention have a greater chance of knocking out the already weakened Pokémon.

"Shinx, get up if you can and use Spark on Starly one more time, keep using Spark until you hit it!" she said with passion, "Piplup, good Peck, now follow it up with a Pound attack!"

"You two know what to do!" exclaimed Jeremy, "Do what comes natural, just like we discussed!"

Jeremy surprised Sam for the second time in this match, a Pokémon acting on its own in a battle? That defeated the purpose of there being a Trainer.

Despite its unorthodox style, what Jeremy had in mind worked.

Starly continued to dodge Shinx's highly inaccurate Spark attacks, which was no match for Starly's speed, while Turtwig recovered and stopped the Pound attack from landing by biting down on Piplup's flipper.

Alyssandra's Piplup cried out in pain, while Shinx cut its Spark attacks, exhausted from an over use of its electric abilities.

"All right guys!" cheered Jeremy, "Now Turtwig, throw Piplup into the air! Starly, use Quick Attack on Shinx while it's down, then climb into the air and circle around it in high speed! Once you're up there, pull into a dive and use Wing Attack on Shinx to finish it off!"

Starly did as it was commanded and sent Shinx flying across the battlefield, and although Shinx didn't faint, it was too weakened at this point to stand back up.

Starly began to circle around the weakened Shinx like a hawk circling its pray, only it was moving at high speeds.

Starly began to climb, doing as Jeremy commanded, bringing itself into a steep dive for a powerful Wing Attack.

Meanwhile, Turtwig had sent Piplup hurtling into the air, and while the Piplup struggled with the pain in its flipper, it was too panicked to attempt to slow its own fall.

Sam knew this was the time to strike. "Piplup go save Alyssandra's Piplup and use Bubble to break your fall! Shinx, use Spark on Starly while it's in its dive, and put everything you have into it!"

Sam's manoeuvres were successful, and Piplup was successfully saved from any sort of damage—aside from damage sustained during Turtwig's Bite—while Shinx's Spark attack crippled Starly mid-flight, causing it massive damage, and causing it to hit the ground with a loud thud, concurrently knocking it out.

"Jeremy's Starly is unable to battle! He is down to one Pokémon!" said Nurse Joy.

Jeremy raised Starly's Poké Ball and recalled it. He smiled softly down at the now full Poké Ball. "Take a long rest, Starly, you've earned it."

Alyssandra also recalled one of her Pokémon, choosing to recall her Shinx. "My Shinx has taken too much damage to continue to fight properly, I'm pulling it out of the battle!" Alyssandra announced to Nurse Joy.

Nurse Joy nodded and continued her commentary; "Alyssandra has withdrawn her Shinx from the match. She and Jeremy are down to only one Pokémon each, with their Turtwig and Piplup respectively, while Sam still has both his Piplup and his Shinx available for use. The battle continues, now!"

"I'm grateful for you saving my Piplup, but you're a Pokémon ahead, and that means Jeremy and I need to bring you down to our level," said Alyssandra.

"Shall we team up then, Lyss?" asked Jeremy.

Alyssandra nodded. "Piplup, use a barrage attack of Pecks on Shinx!"

"Turtwig, use Razor Leaf on Sam's Piplup!" commanded Jeremy confidently.

Sam gave a faint smile but kept his cool. "Shinx! Use Spark on Alyssandra's Piplup, then Tackle it when it's tired!" he said, "Piplup dodge the Razor Leaf and jump high into the air!"

Sam's Shinx struck Piplup with a Spark as he charged in for a Peck; and while the now injured and weakened Piplup fell from its injuries, Shinx hit it with a tackle and sent it flying, successfully knocking it out.

Meanwhile, Sam's Piplup managed to dodge the Razor Leaf, and jumped high up into the air above Turtwig.

Sam called out to it. "Piplup, do a swan dive and use Peck, and spin like a screw while you fall!"

Jeremy fumbled to react, knowing full well that a Flying type attacked mixed in with the full force that the screw-movement and gravity added to it would be devastating to Turtwig.

It was too late for Jeremy however, as Piplup's attack sent Turtwig flying into Alyssandra's unconscious Piplup, knocking it out as well.

"Both Jeremy's Turtwig and Alyssandra's Piplup are unable to battle, Sam is the victor!" cried Nurse Joy.

Sam roared with pride and happiness, shouting a "Yes!" to the sky, while his Piplup and his Shinx danced around him.

Just as Sam settled down, his Piplup and Shinx high fived each other and instantly began to glow white.

Sam jumped back in surprise, and Jeremy and Alyssandra stared in amazement after calling back their Pokémon.

As the white light faded from Shinx and Piplup, it was revealed that Shinx had become a proud Luxio, and Piplup had become a strong Prinplup.

"What?!" exclaimed Jeremy in disbelief, "How have they evolved so soon? This was only our first battle!"

"Well," started Sam, "I've been pitting my Pokémon against each other at night, training them in case the time came for me to battle someone. I wanted experience, you know? Besides, you didn't expect me to just go up against the Oreburgh Gym Leader without knowing what I was doing, did you?"

Sam returned his Pokémon to their Poké Ball and met his two friends and Nurse Joy at the centre of the battlefield.

"Well, that was definitely an interesting match," noted Nurse Joy, "I've never seen new Trainers use moves like that. Sam, Jeremy, Alyssandra, you guys are going to make great Trainers."

"On top of that we even got to see a double evolution, let alone a normal one," added Jeremy, "Not something people see every day."

Nurse Joy nodded in agreement. "Yes," she said, "That's definitely a very rare sight indeed. Now, shall we head inside? I will take your Pokémon and give them a full healing, after that battle the must be very tired."

"Thanks, Nurse Joy, that would be great!" exclaimed Alyssandra, "Could we also get a room? And something to eat for dinner?"

Nurse Joy nodded to Alyssandra. "We'll get you all signed in and everything once I've got your Pokémon set to heal," she said.

"Oh, and don't forget guys," said Sam suddenly, "We need to call home again; we promised. Plus, I'm sure our families will want to hear all about this battle. I know my grandmother would be proud."

"Yeah, yeah," teased Jeremy, "You just wait, I'll get you back, and don't you worry."

"Don't forget about me!" said Alyssandra, "I'm going to win a few too you know?"

Everyone laughed as they re-entered the Pokémon Centre.

Sam felt a great sense of pride as he mulled over his victory today. He would have made his grandfather proud, and his grandmother too, and if the rest of his family had seen him they would all be proud of him as well.

All three friends were finally starting to find their niche as Trainers, and though it may be many years before they fully found it, they were content to know that today they had taken the first step to becoming great Trainers.


	9. 7 - Sam's New Friend

~ Chapter 7 ~

Sam's New Friend

" _Just as I said before, not all Pokémon are good, it is the same with Trainers. Not all Trainers care for their Pokémon as they are supposed to, and many times they will abandon their Pokémon in the wild if they feel that their Pokémon is not performing up to their impossible standards. This is why I opened up a new ranch near the Resort Area; so that all Pokémon who had been abandoned by Trainers could be taken care of and cared for properly, and hopefully—one day—given to a brand-new Trainer who will love and care for them…"_

"Good morning," smiled Alyssandra as she shifted into the booth beside Sam for breakfast.

"Morning, Lyss," Sam and Jeremy replied in unison.

"Has Nurse Joy finished with our Pokémon?" asked Alyssandra as she helped herself to some of the toast and eggs.

Sam nodded. "Almost," he replied, "She's just feeding them and giving them their final examinations. They'll be ready by the time we check out today."

Alyssandra went to respond but paused as something said at the next table caught the group's attention.

"Did you hear about that Trainer who battled the wild Ursaring?" asked one of the two boys in the conversation.

The other boy, who had sandy coloured hair shook his head. "Nuh-uh, what happened?" he asked.

The first boy, with black hair, explained further. "It was late last night," he said, "This Trainer was coming to the Pokémon Centre, when he walked into an angry pack of Ursaring. They attacked, but he managed to beat them all—scared them all away with his Chimchar."

"Wow!" exclaimed the other boy, "That Chimchar must be pretty powerful!"

The dark-haired boy nodded. "Yeah, and I hear the Chimchar is still here," he added.

The sandy hair boy smiled with excitement. "What about the Trainer?" he asked, "Is he staying here?"

The other boy shook his head. "Nope," he said, "He just left the Chimchar passed out in the lobby—poor thing was exhausted apparently—and walked out."

The group ignored the rest of the conversation, having heard enough that they no longer wanted to listen.

"I think that's despicable," said Alyssandra biting back anger, "To put a new Pokémon like that up against an entire pack of Ursaring.

"Not to mention this guy just left his Pokémon here," agreed Sam, "We don't even know if he's coming back."

"Horrible, just horrible," said Jeremy as he shook his head.

Suddenly, a boy with blonde hair burst into the dining hall in frenzy. "Hey guys! It's that Trainer who beat off the Ursaring! He's here!" he cried, and then ran back out into the entrance hall.

Sam looked at the others, and they all came to a silent unanimous decision.

All of them got up and joined the other Trainers in the entrance hall. The three scanned the crowd, looking for any sign of the fabled Trainer that was supposed to be arriving.

Suddenly, they saw him, standing in the middle of the Pokémon Centre, with a smug look on his face. His hair was silver, medium length and groomed back neatly. He wore white jeans, and a grey t-shirt beneath his thick grey sweater. He was having a heated discussion with Nurse Joy—who seemed quite flustered—and as far as the group could tell, he wasn't affected by any of it.

"So, where's my Chimchar?" he asked, "Is the weak thing still passed out?"

"That Chimchar is very hurt from _you_ making it battle all those Ursaring!" scolded Nurse Joy, "It's still recovering. What were you thinking putting it up against all those high-level Pokémon like that? It could have ended up a lot worse!"

"If Chimchar can't learn to hold its own against other Pokémon, then it's not even worth my time," sighed the Trainer, "Chimchar is weak, and it needs to be toughened up."

"That's a horrible thing to say!" shouted Sam as he burst through the crowd. His rage had been building, and he couldn't contain it any longer.

"And who are you?" asked the Trainer, "And why do you even care?"

"I'm Sam, Sam Accardi," declared Sam, "And I don't' like the way you're treating your Pokémon."

"That's none of your concern, buddy," scoffed the Trainer, "Now, Nurse Joy, I'll be back later for the runt. See ya."

And with that, the Trainer turned on his heels and walked back out the door.

Several whispers echoed through the crowds, but the other Trainers soon returned to their breakfasts as the excitement died down.

Alyssandra and Jeremy joined Sam and Nurse Joy at the centre of the hall.

"I can't believe you went out there and did that," said Jeremy in amazement, "He must have really ticked you off, huh?"

Sam clenched his fist. "You have no idea," he said.

Alyssandra looked over at the frustrated Nurse Joy. "Who is that boy?" she asked.

Nurse Joy sighed. "His name is Richard," she explained, "He's from Sandgem Town, and he just started his Pokémon Journey a few months ago. He's been around this area for a while, training with his Chimchar, ever since he lost to Roark at the Oreburgh Gym."

"So, he comes here often?" asked Jeremy.

Nurse Joy nodded. "Almost every few days," she said, "And every time Chimchar's wounds get progressively worse. It's horrible. I know Richard, and the Ursaring didn't ambush him like he says, most likely he went and disturbed them himself."

"He's a horrible Trainer," said Sam through gritted teeth, "I don't know how he was ever allowed to have a Pokémon."

"Well he didn't always used to be like this," said Nurse Joy with a hint of disappointment, "But I think losing to Roark was a big blow to his ego; it was ever since then that he's become very harsh to all Pokémon."

"Haven't you tried calling the police?" asked Alyssandra, "I'm sure Officer Jenny would take care of him in no time."

"I've tried," said Nurse Joy, "But I've never had any physical or conclusive proof to back it up. People come in here all the time with injured Pokémon, there's nothing odd about that, and you can see how his feats get overblown and twisted by the residents here, so it's not like Officer Jenny could do anything about it with a single, conclusive story. Anyway, I'm sorry you all had to see that, should I go get your Pokémon for you? They're all in top fighting shape again, and I'm sure you're all eager to get to Jubilife City."

"That'd be great," said Alyssandra, "Thank you so much for taking care of them for us, and for judging the match yesterday."

Nurse Joy smiled and gave a slight nod. "Oh, it was nothing," she said, "It was my pleasure. In fact, it was quite fun to watch you guys battle—you're all very good."

"Hey, guys, do you think we could hold off on the leaving for a bit?" asked Sam, "Maybe head out a little later?"

"Sure, what did you have in mind?" asked Jeremy.

"You're not going to go confront that Trainer, are you?" asked Alyssandra, "I don't want you hitting him."

"I do want to confront him, but not in a fight," explained Sam, "Not a fist-fight anyway. I'm going to challenge him for a battle; a high stakes battle."

"And what are you going to use as collateral?" asked Jeremy.

Sam smiled. "Simple," he said, "Chimchar. If Richard wins, I'll let him keep Chimchar, and I'll pay him all the money I have, but if he loses—which I'll make sure he does—I'm going to take his Chimchar."

"Is that even legal?" Alyssandra asked Nurse Joy, "Can he do that?"

Nurse Joy paused for a moment to think. "Well, technically," she said, "Not unless it's condoned by an official judge and the Pokémon are traded after _or_ the Pokémon is released by the other Trainer as per a pre-arranged agreement. Under normal circumstances I wouldn't recommend it but…I want to see Chimchar in a good home, and I have seen the way you children care for your Pokémon—I'm also aware of the good care Professor Rowan will provide for it while he is studying it and of the great reputation of the Accardi Pokémon Ranch, which I'm sure is where Chimchar will be sent after Professor Rowan is finished studying it. So yes, I will condone and judge this match. Just remember to make sure Richard releases Chimchar officially if he loses."

Sam nodded. "I will, I promise."

"Here are your Pokémon," said Nurse Joy as she handed everyone back their Poké Balls.

"I'm going out to wait for Richard," said Sam, "He should be back in a few hours."

Richard walked into the Pokémon Centre, his smugness more present that ever before.

"I'm here for the runt," declared Richard, "Where is it?"

Nurse Joy, fighting back her anger, passed Richard his Poké Ball. "There," she said, "Now you had better start taking care of that Chimchar."

"Yeah, yeah," said Richard apathetically, "Whatever you say."

Richard turned as soon as he grabbed his Poké Ball and went to exit the Pokémon Centre when Sam stepped in his way, in front of the door.

"You again?" asked Richard "Get out of my way. You're really starting to bug me."

"I'm not moving," said Sam firmly, "I told you, I don't like the way you treat your Pokémon, and I'm going to do something about it."

Richard laughed antagonistically. "You?" he asked, "You're going to _'do something about it'_? I'd love to see what you're going to do."

Sam bit back his rage and spoke calmly. "I challenge you to a Pokémon Battle," said Sam, "Winner take all."

Richard raised an eyebrow. "What are the stakes?"

"You win, you keep Chimchar and I'll pay you one hundred thousand Poké-Yen," said Sam.

Richard smiled, enticed by the sound of his prize. "And if I lose? Which will never happen by the way."

"You release Chimchar, and leave on your merry way," said Sam, "Do you think you can handle it?"

There was a tense pause, but Richard responded with a nod. "I'll take it," he said, "Chimchar may be a weak little runt but I'm sure it'll kick your dumb Pokémon's butt, and then I'll be rolling in all your cash."

Richard looked over at Alyssandra, who stood a few feet away, and winked at her. "And then I'll take your cute little friend over there out on a date, show her a what a real man looks like."

Sam bit back his rage again and pointed to the door. "Come on then," he said coolly, "Let's start this match. Nurse Joy will judge."

The two opponents walked out towards the battlefield in the back and took up positions at opposite ends. As they did, a large crowd of Trainers from the Pokémon Centre started to crowd around the field, eager to see how this would go down.

Alyssandra and Jeremy stood beside the judge's position, cheering Sam on with all their Pokémon.

Nurse Joy stood between Sam and Richard at the edge of the field. "The battle between Sam of Twinleaf Town and Richard of Sandgem Town is about to begin!" announced Nurse Joy, "Each Trainer will use one Pokémon each! Winner takes all! Begin the fight!"

Richard reacted first, and sent his Chimchar out onto the field, while Sam quickly followed by calling out his Prinplup.

"Remember Prinplup," said Sam, "We don't want to rough up Chimchar too much, we just want to win this so Chimchar can be released."

Prinplup nodded. "Prinplup!" cried the Pokémon.

"Don't go easy on me!" cried Richard, "You're weak enough already, now just loose like a good little Trainer! Chimchar, use Scratch on Prinplup!"

"Prinplup dodge!" cried Sam, "Retaliate with Peck!" Prinplup did as commanded and jumped back as Chimchar came in for a swipe, then tipped itself forward and attacked with its Peck.

"Chimchar evade!" cried Richard, "Then use Ember!"

However, Prinplup's Peck was too fast for Chimchar, and Chimchar was struck and fell back from the damage.

"Get up you little runt!" roared Richard, "Use Ember on Prinplup, now!"

Prinplup raised its hands as the small balls of flame hit it, but despite the attack landing, the damage was minimal.

"Fire type attacks are weak against Water type Pokémon," said Sam with a vengeful smile, "But I'm sure a _weak_ Trainer such as myself doesn't need to tell _you_ , a big strong Trainer, something like that, do I?"

"Grrr—Chimchar, use Fury Swipes, now!" yelled Richard angrily.

Sam knew then that he was going to be the victor.

Richard was letting his anger take over, and once a Trainer loses their cool and can no longer keep a level head, their failure was assured.

"Prinplup, block and use Metal Claw!" said Sam.

Chimchar came in for another swipe, but Sam's Prinplup was prepared. Its claws began to glow, and it blocked Chimchar's swipe with ease.

Prinplup then pivoted on its feet, and broke the block, and struck Chimchar in the chest with a Metal Claw.

Chimchar flew back and hit the ground in pain.

Sam looked hard at the Chimchar, hoping that it would give up soon; Sam didn't want to hurt it anymore, he just wanted to prove a point to Richard.

Chimchar struggled to get up.

Richard yelled. "Get up! Come on, you runt, stand up! Keep fighting!"

But Chimchar—fortunately for Sam—remained on the ground.

"Chimchar is unable to battle!" announced Nurse Joy, "The match is over! Sam is the victor!"

The crowd cheered, happy that Sam had won this high-stake battle.

Richard on the other hand growled with rage, and walked over to the Chimchar,

"What's wrong with you?" he asked it, "Why are you so weak?"

Sam ran over to Chimchar and glared at Richard. "I won," he said simply, "Let Chimchar go. We had a deal."

"I know we did, but I don't have to keep it," growled Richard, "It's not like we shook hands."

Richard pulled out Chimchar's Poké Ball, but just as he was about to recall the Pokémon, Sam grabbed it from his hands, threw it on the ground and stepped on it hard, breaking the Poké Ball in two. A blue light surrounded Chimchar, and then burst into a sparkle of light.

The crowd gasped as Sam released the Chimchar himself.

Richard glared hard at Sam, and went to speak, but Sam retaliated first and punched him across the face.

Richard stumbled back and held his bleeding nose as he glared up at Sam through his teary eyes.

"You! How dare you!" he cried.

Sam charged up at him intimidatingly. "Get out of here! We had a deal, now leave!"

Richard instantly took flight and ran off down the road.

Sam sighed and turned back to Chimchar, who had now stood up, still roughed up from the fight.

"Hey, Chimchar," smiled Sam as he knelt down to pat the Pokémon, "I'm sorry you had to see that, and I'm sorry for doing that to you during the fight. I just needed to win so you could be free from your bad Trainer."

"Chimchar?" asked the Chimchar weakly.

Sam smiled. "Don't worry," he said, "You won't be alone from now on, in fact, I'd like you to come travel with us for a bit, if that's all right?"

Chimchar paused for a second, and then smiled happily. "Chimchar! Chim-Chimchar!" cried the Chimchar.

Sam pulled out an empty Poké Ball, and called Chimchar inside of it, catching it instantly.

Alyssandra and Jeremy walked up behind Sam as he recalled his Prinplup as well, while Nurse Joy escorted the crowds back inside the Pokémon Centre.

"I told you not to hit him," said Alyssandra in a scolding tone, "But I suppose this time it was necessary. I'm proud of you."

Alyssandra gave Sam a small hug and a peck on the cheek, while Jeremy patted him on the back.

"You did good buddy," he said, "You gave that Chimchar a good home, and now it's part of our family."

"So, we're family now?" asked Sam with a smile.

Alyssandra nodded. "Ever since we started this journey."

To that, Sam could only smile, glad that Chimchar was now part of this "loving family" and happy to know that it was now going to be well taken care of.


	10. 8 - Jubilife City, City of Joy

~ Chapter 8 ~

Jubilife City, City of Joy

" _After so long, we finally reached the largest city in the Sinnoh Region: Jubilife City. Having grown up in a small town like Twinleaf, I had never seen so many colourful sights and sounds. Lights were everywhere, flashing upon billboards and store windows, and the buildings were all several stories high—much taller than anything I was used to. It was magnificent. Alyssandra claimed her shopping trip which she had won earlier and used the time to pick out outfits for herself in her upcoming Pokémon Contest. Admittedly though, if it wasn't for the entire afternoon I would spending as a pack mule on Alyssandra's shopping spree it would have been a perfect stay…"_

Sam, Alyssandra and Jeremy fawned as they beheld the sight that was Jubilife City. Finally, after almost a week of travelling and several detours, they had finally arrived at their destination.

"We've had a busy first week," said Sam as the group entered the massive city, "But we're finally here, Jubilife City."

Alyssandra nodded. "I know! Isn't it amazing?" she asked as she took in all the sights, "Look at all the tall buildings and the bustling crowds, it's just beautiful!"

Alyssandra was indeed right; the entire city was comprised of massive buildings, and even the Pokémon Centre was five stories tall—or so Sam had heard anyway.

Crowds pushed and shoved their way around the group, and vendors sold their wares right on the street corner.

"It's certainly different from what we're used to," said Jeremy as he squeezed between several businessmen who seemed not to even notice him standing there.

"Quick, let's get to the Pokémon Centre," said Alyssandra, "The faster we drop our stuff off the faster we can go on that shopping trip you promised."

Sam and Jeremy groaned, remembering the promise they made to Alyssandra after she had won their Pokémon catching contest.

"I was hoping she had forgotten by now," complained Jeremy as the group pushed on through the throng of people.

After ten minutes of walking, Sam, Jeremy and Alyssandra had finally reached the Pokémon Centre. But just as the group was about to enter the building, two people dressed like large, overly comical party clowns stopped them.

"Hello there, children!" said the woman, "We represent the Pokétch Company!"

"Uh, hi there," replied the Sam, a little worried.

"We can't help but notice your Pokétch there!" said the male clown, "And that means you are instantly applicable for these magnificent prizes! Tell them what they've won Vanna!"

"All right, Pat!" said the female clown known as Vanna, "You have all instantly won a brand new Pokétch application! This application allows you to access your Pokémon PC from your Pokétch at any time! It also allows you to transfer Pokémon between your party and your PC!"

Vanna and Pat handed out small microchips to each of the group. "Just insert that small chip into the back, like so," explained Pat as she demonstrated on Alyssandra's Pokétch, "And the application will install and start to work like that!"

"But that's not all!" exclaimed Pat, "Tell them what else they've won Vanna!"

"You've also won entrance into the Pokétch Company's Anniversary Raffle Lottery!" exclaimed Vanna, "Just write down your names on these cards and we'll put them into the Raffle Roller!"

Vanna walked over to their booth and showed the group a small cylindrical tube that turned around with a crank, and was filled almost to the top with cards, presumably with other contestants.

"Fabulous prizes include but are not limited to: you're very own brand-new Pokémon! A lifetime supply of Poffins! And even your very own, brand new, top of the line, state of the art, car!" exclaimed Pat.

"Wow! I'm definitely entering this!" said Jeremy as he and the others shoved their cards into the raffle ticket machine.

"So what kind of Pokémon are you guys giving away anyway?" asked Alyssandra.

Vanna and Pat simply smiled. "That is a super-secret surprise!" they said together, "Even we don't know it."

"All right then…" said Alyssandra, slightly creeped out by their speaking in unison.

"So, when is the drawing for prizes?" asked Sam, "Will there be some sort of announcement?"

Vanna nodded. "Yes," he said, "You'll hear us over the city's loudspeaker, and we'll announce the winners of the Raffle Lottery there. Drawing is at four this evening! If you win you can claim the prize at the Pokétch Company headquarters!"

"All right, we'll keep an ear out," said Sam with a small, thankful nod, "Thanks again!"

And with that, Sam and the others were off and entered the Pokémon Centre.

"I'll go check us in," said Sam, "Place your gear over there on one of those carts. This Pokémon Centre operates like a hotel from what I read in the brochure—that's how big it is."

"Wow," said Alyssandra in bewilderment, "I've never seen a Pokémon Centre so large, and to think it's all free."

"I know," said Jeremy, "Makes me feel better because it's one less thing for me to pay Sam back for."

Sam rolled his eyes. "You're not paying me back, and if you even hand me a single Poké-Yen I will light you on fire with it."

Sam left to go check them in before Jeremy could argue further.

Jeremy was a proud person and did not like it when Sam—or anyone else for that matter—paid for him.

Sam sighed, but quickly returned to reality as Nurse Joy confronted him to check him and his friends in.

After checking himself and the others into the Pokémon Centre, he allowed a Machoke to bring the luggage cart upstairs to their room, and then returned to his friends.

"So, what are we going to do now?" asked Jeremy.

"I vote we go shopping!" shrieked Alyssandra with excitement, "There's so many clothes I want to get for my Pokémon and I!"

"Well at least it's not a pleasure trip," sighed Jeremy, "It makes me feel somewhat less slavish."

Sam laughed, but Jeremy retorted with a glare.

"Easy for you to say," he hissed at Sam in a whisper, "You li—"

Sam put his hand over Jeremy's mouth to silence him. "So, where's the shopping district Lyss?" asked Sam, quickly changing the subject.

"Well, I think I saw it somewhere west of here when I looked at the town map earlier," she said, "I'll just go get one from the desk over there, and then we can be on our way."

As Alyssandra went to ask Nurse Joy for a city map, Sam quickly turned back to Jeremy.

"Try not to let slip that I like her," he hissed, "I don't want her to find out; it could ruin our friendship!"

"Oh, yes, what a shame that would be," sighed Jeremy, "Look Sam, don't worry all right?"

Sam was about to retaliate, wondering how Jeremy could be so nonchalant about this when Alyssandra returned.

"All right guys let's go shopping!" exclaimed Alyssandra in excitement.

Sam sat down inside of the dress shop; he had just spent the past two hours picking out Pokémon outfits for Piplup and Shinx, and now Jeremy and Sam were forced to come along to help pick out the dress Alyssandra would use in her Pokémon Contest tomorrow.

Three dresses in and Jeremy had volunteered to wait outside for them, not being able to stand the heavily perfumed air and all the colours each dress sported. Sam was left alone inside of the dress shop, waiting for Alyssandra to emerge in her fourth choice of dress.

Finally, after almost twenty minutes of waiting, Alyssandra emerged from the change room is a slim fit, strapless silver dress that flared out around the bottom of the dress.

"Well, how do I look?" asked Alyssandra, "And be honest."

Sam was speechless; she was stunning, and that wasn't just because he liked her, he meant it.

"You're—I mean, you're…wow…you're—wow," was all Sam was able to say.

Alyssandra laughed. "Well, I'm glad you think so," she said, "Where's Jeremy? I want to see what he thinks."

Sam laughed. "Jeremy's waiting outside. He finally snapped," said Sam, "He said if he saw one more dress he was going to scream."

Alyssandra shrugged. "Oh well," she responded, "His loss. Well, I think I'm going to get this one! I'll be back in a sec; I'm just going to change out of it. Do you want to go pay?"

Sam nodded. "Sure," he said, "I'll be here if you need me."

As Alyssandra disappeared back behind the curtain, Sam walked over to the cashier, and pulled out his money clip. It was certainly thinner than when they had arrived in the city. He had just spent almost fifty thousand Poké-Yen on outfits for Piplup and Shinx and was about to spend fifty thousand on this dress for Alyssandra.

"I'll have to make a reminder to myself to take out more money before we get going to the next town," Sam said to himself, "I'm down to six thousand Poké-Yen; that'll barely buy us a victory dinner if tomorrow goes well."

As Sam finished paying for the dress, Jeremy burst into the store in a frantic rush. "Come outside quick! They're announcing the winners of the Pokétch Company Raffle!" shouted Jeremy.

Sam nodded and then walked over to the curtain where Alyssandra was. "Lyss, they're announcing the winners of the Raffle," said Sam, "I've paid for the dress and I'm waiting outside with Jeremy, meet us there when you're finished all right?"

"Okay!" called Alyssandra, "I'll be out in a second!"

Sam nodded and dashed outside to join Jeremy. "Where are—" started Sam, but Jeremy shushed him.

The entire city had gone silent it seemed for these two minutes of announcements.

"—Now for the moment you've all be waiting for!" said the voice of Vanna as it came over the loudspeaker, "The Raffle Lottery winners! Pat shall we announce the winners?"

"Yes indeed, Vanna!" exclaimed Pat, also over the loudspeaker.

There was silence following Pat's last words, and the sound of the raffle machine turning around, then the sound of rummaging through the cards.

This sound repeated itself twice more before Vanna finally called out again. "All right everyone, the people have been picked, now let the card reading begin!" she said.

"In first place, winning the magnificent brand-new car is…Michael O'Keefe!" shouted Vanna.

There was a small pause as people in the streets clapped and cheered, then as it died down, Pat's voice came over the loud speaker.

"In second place, winning the lifetime supply of Poffins is…Suzaku Itamaki!"

Again, another pause for cheering and applause before Vanna returned to finally announce the third-place winner.

"All right guys, and now for the third-place winner," said Vanna, "Who will win themselves a brand new, mystery Pokémon that will be transferred directly to their Pokémon PC! This lucky person is…Jeremy De Oliveira Malhotra!"

Jeremy stood there frozen for a moment, and Alyssandra—who had just exited the shop with her dress in a bag in hand, threw her arms around Jeremy and hugged him in congratulations.

Sam patted Jeremy on the back. "All right, way to go!" he cheered his friend on. Life continued as normal a few minutes after the announcement, though a few people stopped to stare at Jeremy as he celebrated his win, most people stopped paying attention to the runner up prize winners, most preferring to listen through their radio apps in their Pokétch.

"So, which Pokémon did you win?" asked Alyssandra, "Check your PC!"

Jeremy nodded and booted up the Pokétch PC app.

He scanned through his PC and smiled. "Well what do you know," he smiled, "I got myself another starter. They gave me a Piplup!"

"Well, that makes a Piplup for all of us I suppose!" smiled Alyssandra as the three friends walked down the street.

Sam laughed. "You know, it seems we're having all the luck, haven't you noticed?" he asked.

Jeremy shrugged. "Well it can't last forever. That's a life lesson everyone learns the hard way. Soon enough things will stop being so easy, just you watch."

"Hey! Stop ruining the good moment," said Alyssandra, "Now come on, let's go out for a celebratory dinner! Sam's paying!"

"I—wait what?!" asked Sam, "What do you mean?"

Alyssandra giggled. "I think I saw this place around the corner that we'd all enjoy, come on!" and with that Alyssandra ran off down the street, Jeremy running off behind her.

Sam sighed and hung his head, then started to run as well. "At least let me withdraw more money if I'm going to pay! I'm almost completely out right now!"

Alyssandra sat down on the balcony chair as she looked up at the full moon.

Night was always her favourite time of day—it was so serene and silent, and anything said to the darkness was forgotten instantly.

"Anxious for tomorrow?" asked Sam as he opened the balcony door.

Alyssandra jumped as Sam entered from the room, not expecting him to be awake.

"You couldn't sleep either huh?" asked Alyssandra as Sam sat down beside her.

Sam smiled. "You could say that," he said, "But you still haven't answered my question."

Alyssandra looked down at her feet and let out a sigh. "Yeah, I suppose I am nervous," she said, "I don't understand, I was fine just a few hours ago, now all of a sudden I can't even bear to think about tomorrow."

Sam placed his hand on hers. "That's natural," he said, "I feel that way all the time. Do you remember my match with Richard the other day? I was completely fine up until I called the match; once I did I kept having doubts. It's not the getting nervous part that you should focus on, focus on your goal, and keep that in mind, and you'll push through to the end. You're a great Pokémon Coordinator, I know it. I've seen you battle, you just keep a level head and battle like you did, and you'll go far."

Alyssandra gave a faint smile. "Yeah," she said, "You're right. There's just…what if I let my family down? I know they'll be watching, and I just _know_ the whole time they'll be comparing me to Valentina. I will forever be living in my older sister's shadow. She's nineteen, she's the Pokémon Champion of the Sinnoh League and one of the youngest to be so, and she's one of the strongest Trainers in the region. Then there's Enzo, he's out there somewhere, probably beat three different Pokémon Leagues, and doing who knows what. How am I supposed to impress them when everyone else has done it before me?"

Sam smiled and tapped her hand gingerly. "Because, you're still their daughter," he said, "And no one else has become a Coordinator in your family. You're the first, and you're going to become a top-notch Coordinator, and you're going to win the Sinnoh Grand Festival, and every other Grand Festival out there. Plus, once I knock Valentina out as Champion of the Sinnoh League they'll _have_ to focus on you."

Alyssandra laughed heartily. "You really think I can win the Sinnoh Grand Festival?" she asked.

Sam nodded. "I do," he said as he stood up, "Now come on, get some rest. No matter how good you are, you can't do anything without sleep."

Alyssandra nodded, and together both re-entered their room, and went to their respective beds—Sam's in the bunk below Jeremy's and Alyssandra's in the bottom bunk opposite Sam.

As Alyssandra settled herself into her covers, she smiled one last time up at the ceiling, and she knew that tomorrow, everything was going to fall into place for her.


	11. 9 - Niya Alyssandra's First Contest

~ Chapter 9 ~

Niya; Alyssandra's First Contest

" _The day of Alyssandra's first tournament was one of the busiest days I've had as a Trainer. When we weren't running around making sure we took care of everything we needed, we were running around trying to find our way back to the Contest Hall. This was also the day that we gained a new team member—a new member of our little 'family'—a devoted and loyal friend, and one that would travel with us until we explored every inch the Pokémon World had to offer us. If it wasn't for her, we always said, Alyssandra would never had won her first tournament, and we wouldn't have been able to make it as far as we did in our travels…"_

The group sat there silently, eating their breakfast with haste.

No one dared to say a word, as Alyssandra was on edge, and even the slightest word might set her off. She was scary when she was like this; she could snap at any minute and was very volatile—much like a sleeping Electrode. You were never quite sure when or if she was going to blow, but when she does you don't want to be around.

Sam finished his breakfast quickly, wanting to go out and do some last-minute supply shopping as well as completing a few errands before the contest today.

Sam tapped Jeremy on the shoulder, as not to make a noise too loud that would set off Alyssandra—who by now was nervously chasing her egg and sausages around the plate with her fork.

"Do you want to come with me?" asked Sam, "I'm going to run a few errands around town."

Jeremy nodded silently almost instantaneously. "Anything to get out for a bit," he said silently.

Sam bit back a laugh; it wasn't that they didn't care about or didn't like Alyssandra; it was just that when she got like this, she was almost impossible to be around.

Sam remembered how she used to be back in Pokémon School when they were children, when she used to freak out during tests, and the one time she dug into Sam's skin with her nails so hard that she drew blood.

Sam and Jeremy started to slide out of their seats, when Alyssandra looked up and quickly slammed her hands down on the table.

"Where are you going?!" she asked, "Are you just going to leave me here alone when I need some support?"

Sam fumbled to find a response, managing to only spurt out. "I—uh, it's not like that it's just—"

"I can't believe you guys would just leave me like this!" she shrieked, "I'm a nervous wreck here and you're all just going to let me stay here, freaking out. I'll probably lose the Contest now!"

"Lyss—please, it's not like that," he said, "We just have some things to do—necessary things for our journey—"

"What could be more necessary than helping me get through this?!" she asked.

"Lyss, please you're making a scene," said Jeremy trying to soothe her temper.

"He's right you know," said a tall, pale girl with emerald green eyes.

She approached the group's table calmly and coolly, with her hands in her jean pockets. Her hair was light brown and was tied up in a short ponytail that flared out like a flame. She also had side bangs at either temple, made possible by a series of hairclips that her the hair out of her face.

"You really shouldn't be freaking out this like. It'll spook your Pokémon, and when they see you get nervous, they get nervous. Then you'll _definitely_ loose the Contest."

Alyssandra's jaw dropped and was followed by a wide grin as she shot up and hugged the girl.

"Niya!" cried Alyssandra happily as she pulled back from the hug, "How long as he it been?"

"Too long," smiled Niya in response, "So I still see you're hanging with Larry and Moe over here."

"Nice to see you too," said Sam as he rolled his eyes, "I can see you still hate me."

Niya laughed. "Oh, come on," she said, "I never hated you. I just like poking fun at you—to be honest you make it easy."

"Reassuring, very reassuring," said Sam sarcastically, "So, how are you? Better question, how's your killer Roserade?"

Niya stuck her tongue out at Sam, in a similar manner as Alyssandra. "Baby," she said, "I told you before, that's how Roserade says 'I love you', she really liked you Sam. You're good with Pokémon, so you shouldn't be too surprised."

"Yeah, well I can't exactly disagree with that part," smiled Sam.

"So, Niya, what are you doing here?" asked Alyssandra, "And how did you know to find me here?"

"Luck, really," smiled Niya, "I called your home the other day, but your parents said you went out on a Pokémon journey to become a Coordinator. Naturally the first Contest Hall you'd come to would be the one here in Jubilife City, so I figured I'd come look for you here at the Pokémon Centre, and sure enough, here you are!"

"So, you're coming to watch me then?" asked Alyssandra excitedly.

"Better than that, I'm going to coach you," smiled Niya, "I just saw your little outburst there; rookie mistake."

"Oh, yeah…" said Alyssandra softly, "I didn't mean to, I'm just so nervous."

"It's all right," smiled Niya with a wink, "I don't mean to offend you. Most people do freak out their first time, because not all of them have a super awesome friend like me to help you."

Alyssandra and Niya laughed.

"It's okay to be nervous," explained Niya as she and Alyssandra sat opposite to each other, "But don't let it show. You need to keep a level head, that way you can command your Pokémon with elegance. Like I said, if your Pokémon sense your nerves, they'll be nervous too, and that won't be good at all."

Alyssandra nodded as she listened to all Niya's advice.

Sam tapped on the table, wanting to get out before he ran out of time.

"Jeremy and I are going to go, we have some errands to run before tomorrow," explained Sam, "We need supplies—"

"But guys—" started Alyssandra, however, Niya tapped Alyssandra on the arm gingerly, calming her down.

"Let them go," she said, "It's all right. They have a good reason to go; I know they wouldn't go unless they did."

Alyssandra sighed and nodded. "All right but be back in time for my Contest!" she warned, "If you're late I'll never forgive you!"

Sam smiled. "Don't worry, we'll be back on time."

Jeremy and Sam bade farewell to Alyssandra and exited the Pokémon Centre.

"So what kind of things do we need?" asked Jeremy.

"Well we need food," said Sam, "And we're going to need more Pokémon food as well—not to mention medicine. Also, I need to go by the bank and withdraw more money. Alyssandra cleaned me out with her shopping spree."

"I can get the food," said Jeremy, "I heard from my mother that there are some nice markets in town—cheap prices, but amazing food."

Sam nodded. "All right, here's my cheque book," said Sam as he handed it to Jeremy, "I've signed the cheque already, just fill in the amount, and pay. All right?"

"No bank card?" laughed Jeremy, "What are we banking in the nineteenth century?"

"I'm not giving you my PIN number," said Sam, "You'll run me broke. Now hurry up, we need to meet back here in an hour, so we can go watch Alyssandra at the Contest Hall."

Jeremy rolled his eyes with a laugh, and the two boys split up in different directions.

Jeremy skidded to a halt in front of Sam, an entire basket of groceries on his back. He paused and doubled over out of breath.

"You need to get in shaped," laughed Sam, "But other than that a good show."

"Shut up," laughed Jeremy as he caught his breath, "You try running with this thing on your back. Not easy."

"Which brings me to my next point," said Sam as and Jeremy began to walk down the road, "Where and why did you get _that_?"

"Long story," explained Jeremy, "Let's just say the women whom I bought our food from gave it to me because I reminded her of her grandson. She was a bit senile, but her food was top quality—it's visible in the produce, and public opinion says so as well."

"Interesting," chuckled Sam, "You always seem to have the weirdest adventures when you're on your own."

"Don't I know it," agreed Jeremy.

Suddenly, the two were pushed aside as a tall man with green, bowl cut hair and a funny black and white jumpsuit ran past, quickly followed by Officer Jenny and a man in a large trench coat.

"Stop that man!" shouted the man in the trench coat, "Don't let him get away!"

Sam and Jeremy looked at each other and nodded. Placing the basket of food down by the side of the road, they ran off after the strange man, and ducked into a nearby alleyway, hoping to cut him off at the next pass.

Luckily for Sam and Jeremy, their plan worked, and they cut off the strange man; clotheslining him and knocking him straight to the ground.

The man quickly recovered though, and as he stood up, and tossed a Poké Ball towards the boys.

"Go, Croagunk!" shouted the man.

A Croagunk appeared in the alleyway, standing between the boys and the man,

"Use Poison Jab on these two, Croagunk!" shouted the man, "Knock them out cold!"

"Damn!" cursed Sam as he reached for his Poké Balls but realized that he and Jeremy had left their Pokémon and their Poké Ball belts back at the Pokémon Centre at the Pokémon Day Care.

The Croagunk paused, not reacting to its Trainer's commands.

"Come on, you stupid Croagunk, use Poison Jab!" shouted the man.

The Croagunk again paused, but this time Sam noticed that the Croagunk was wearing a strange looking collar around its neck.

Sam noticed that Croagunk seemed like it was in pain—or at least, that's what its eyes told Sam.

"Hey, buddy, I don't want to tell you how to train your Pokémon," said Sam, "But I think your Croagunk's being hurt by that thing there on its neck."

The man ignored Sam, and with anger shouted. "Use Poison Jab or I'm going to push this button!"

The man pulled out a small remote with several small buttons, and a large black one towards the top.

Again, the Croagunk gave no response, and the man pushed the button. The Croagunk cried out in pain as an electric shock racked its body with pain.

The man shouted again. "Use Poison Jab and take care of these losers!"

Again, the Croagunk paused, but this time, as the man was about to push the button, something hit him over the back of the head, causing him to drop the remote. The man was suddenly grabbed from behind and placed into handcuffs by none other than Officer Jenny.

"Are you kids okay?" she asked as she passed the handcuffed man over to the man with the trench coat, "He didn't hurt you, did he?"

Sam and Jeremy shook their heads. "No," they replied.

"But I think he's been hurting that Croagunk. He uses some sort of shock collar; I don't really know what it is." added Sam.

Officer Jenny looked at the strange looking man, a glare on her face. "How dare you do that to your Pokémon!" she yelled, "It makes me even happier that I'm confiscating your Pokémon, at least now I know you _won't_ be getting them back this time."

Officer Jenny bent over and picked up the Poké Ball that the man had dropped when he was handcuffed.

Meanwhile, Sam and Jeremy tried the break the collar off Croagunk, and after several minutes of tugging, the metal collar finally broke.

"So, what was all of that?" asked Jeremy as he threw the pieces of the metal band into the trashcan nearby.

"That man you saw is a member of Team Galactic," explained Officer Jenny, "They're a criminal organization who seek to control Pokémon and use them for their own selfish needs. Normally they aren't so big of a problem, but lately their operations have become larger and more problematic, and they've been encroaching on Jubilife more and more. It's become a real problem for the locals, that's why Looker is here."

"Looker?" asked Sam, "Who's he?"

"He's the man in the trench coat," explained Officer Jenny, "He's a member of the International Police, here investigating Team Galactic so he can bring their organization down."

"Hey uh, Officer Jenny?" asked Sam, "What's going to happen to that Croagunk?"

"He'll be sent to a Pokémon Orphanage, where he'll be kept until someone comes along to adopt him," she explained, "He'll probably be better treated there than he was with this Team Galactic Grunt."

Sam didn't like the sound of that 'probably'.

This Croagunk had seen much pain; Sam didn't want it to see anymore.

"Could I make a small request?" asked Sam, "Could I take the Croagunk? I promise I'll take care of it. My family owns the Accardi Pokémon Ranch; we can give it the wide-open spaces and all of the care and company it should've gotten and deserves."

Officer Jenny thought for a moment, and then with a nod and a smile gave the Poké Ball to Sam. "I suppose that's better than the other option," she said, "At least this way I know he'll be well taken care of. I once interned at the Accardi Ranch in Kanto—I spent a summer there as a young girl. I can trust your reputation."

Sam smiled and pointed the Poké Ball at Croagunk. "All right Croagunk, return!" he said, "It's time to get you to a proper home."

The happy moment was cut short however, by the sound of a loud bell tower ringing in the distance.

"Oh no!" exclaimed Jeremy, "What time is it?!"

"It's time for the Pokémon Contest to start!" shouted Sam, "We need to hurry and get there, or Lyss will have our hides! Come on!"

After ten minutes of straight running—and a minor detour to get the basket of food back—Sam and Jeremy reached the Contest Hall.

They were exhausted, but they didn't care, they needed to get to their seats before Alyssandra went on stage.

She was probably back stage right now, fuming to Niya about how Sam and Jeremy failed to keep their promises.

Sam slammed the tickets down at the front counter while Jeremy requested to leave the food with the ticket person.

After Jeremy handed off the food, the two of them hopped the turnstile and dashed towards the door that led to the Contest Hall.

Sam and Jeremy burst through the door to the seating area and froze dead in their tracks as they saw Alyssandra walk onto stage.

She was about to go up, and she would no doubt look towards the crowd to find Sam and Jeremy and wouldn't see them in their seats.

Sam needed to think fast—and acting on impulse and placed two fingers in his mouth and let out a shrill whistle. Everyone in the hall looked back towards Sam, including Alyssandra, who smiled at Sam who was waving frantically to her. Having noticed Sam, Alyssandra was filled brimming with confidence, and happily continued her appeal section of the Contest.

"There we go," said Sam and he and Jeremy found their seats, "She saw us, we're here and she's happy. Everyone's happy."

"Not everyone," said Jeremy, "Niya will probably smack us both later—she's not as easy to appease as Lyss, remember?"

"Ah, who cares," said Sam, "Once we explain to her about the Team Galactic guy and the Croagunk, she'll be won over too."

"Yeah, I just hope you're right," said Jeremy, "I don't want to see what that Roserade can really do."

Alyssandra ran up towards Sam and gave him a tight hug, kissing him on the cheek.

"I won! I won, I won!" she screamed happily, "I can't believe it I won my Pokémon Contest! My _first_ Pokémon Contest!"

"Congratulations," said Sam with a smile as he examined her ribbon, "I knew you could do it."

"Yeah, Lyss," said Jeremy as he gave her a hug, "You just needed to believe in yourself."

"Well, I don't think I could've done it without you guys being there," she said, "But Niya's advice really helped me a lot. She gave me so much confidence in myself."

"I was happy to help," smiled Niya, "I remember back when I was travelling, and doing contests. I had my aunt, Fantina, teaching me every step of the way. She's a Top Coordinator, and a Gym Leader too. So, I just figured I would do for you what she did for me. Besides, I'd _love_ to open up a Pokémon Coordinator's School one day—this was practice for that."

Sam laughed. "There's a dream," he said, "A good dream though. I'm sure you'll do well."

"Thanks," nodded Niya, recognizing Sam's compliment, "So, while we're on the subject of support, care to explain why you guys were late? I mean, you made it sure, but where were you during the opening ceremony?"

Sam and Jeremy looked at each other, and then turned back to the girls. They began to explain everything that had happened. How they helped assist in an arrest by slowing down the Team Galactic Grunt, and how they had found and helped that poor Croagunk and gave it a home with them.

"Wow," said Alyssandra, "You two always seem to have the weirdest adventures when you're on your own."

"You did a good thing for that Croagunk though," added Niya, "I've seen Pokémon Orphanages; some are okay, but most of them are no better than the abusive Trainers that the Pokémon are rescued from."

"Man, I wish we could do more about all those abusive Trainers out there," said Sam, "On our way here we met a Trainer named Richard. He had a Chimchar that he treated like garbage—luckily I was able to win it from him in a high stakes battle, and I gave Chimchar a home on the family ranch."

Niya nodded, impressed with Sam's devotion to this cause. "Well, you could always start up your own search and rescue foundation for these Pokémon," suggested Niya, "It's worth a shot, right? Besides, you mentioned to Lyss here that you wanted to do something more worthwhile with your money, right?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah, you're right," he said, "I could open a whole new ranch for that purpose—wait a minute, you know about me and my family?"

"Please, I've done my travelling," said Niya, "And my research. I've met your family when I stopped by the ranch one day. They explained they had a nephew in Twinleaf Town, and when I saw the last name I put two and two together."

Sam laughed. "So, what do you to do with that information then, hold me for ransom?" joked Sam.

"Nah," said Niya, "I know people worth more."

Everyone laughed. "Actually, there _is_ something I want," said Niya, "But from all of you, not just Sam."

"What is it?" asked Alyssandra, "I owe you big time, you can ask me anything."

"I want to travel with you guys," said Niya, "I've been bored here in Jubilife lately, and I miss the time I spent out on the road travelling the region. Sinnoh is so large, and I have only seen but a fraction, I want to see it all. Please?"

Sam and the others looked at each other, and then nodded simultaneously,

"Sure," they said, "We'd be more than happy to have you."

Niya smiled. "Awesome!" she cheered, "I promise I'll hold my end of the work up—I've done it before alone, and I know it's not fun without help—and I'll keep helping Alyssandra out with her contests."

"We know you will," smiled Sam, "Because if you don't we're going to leave you in a forest somewhere."

Everyone laughed, and as the laughter died down, they walked towards the door.

"So where to first?" asked Niya, "Oreburgh? Floaroma Town?"

"Dinner," said Sam, "We're going out to celebrate! Alyssandra's won a ribbon, and we've gained a new family member."

"Family?" asked Niya in puzzlement.

"We'll explained on the way to dinner," said Alyssandra with a wide grin.


	12. 10 - Poketch Problems

~ Chapter 10 ~

Pokétch Problems

" _If there is one thing that I can pass on to you, just one thing that will get you through anything, it's that as a Pokémon Trainer, every little thing that you do is connected, and all of your actions have reactions, and every choice you make—from the very first choice—will lead you down a path to your destiny. And if there is a second piece of advice I could give you, it is that trouble always seems to find you when you're on a Pokémon Journey, whether you intend to go look for it, or not. Oh, and one more thing: if you_ **EVER** _get dragged into a situation with a member of some so-called "evil organization" turn around right away. Otherwise you're going to probably spend the rest of your journey thinking that because you got involved the first time, it's your duty to put an end to all their actions, and not to mention that they are vengeful people, and will peg you as an enemy from the start."_

The group sat around the table silently, not willing to speak to each other after the incident earlier this morning.

Sam and Jeremy's Starly were let out to eat with the other Pokémon when they woke up, but instead of eating peacefully, both Starly started to show off to each other, and fight over who was better. They almost had a full-on battle over the food just minutes after being broken apart.

"I did some reading," said Niya finally—she had never been one for formalities—as she closed her book, "This behaviour is normal between Starly bred in the wild, in captivity too."

"How is acting like a bunch of self-righteous roosters normal?" asked Alyssandra, "It sounds stupid to me."

"Well, it's actually very similar to roosters," explained Niya, "See, male Starly are very competitive, and they live in an Alpha-based society. Male Starly compete for territory, hunting and food rights and for mates. Leadership or Alpha Male positions as they're called, are usually competed for in a similar manner. So, you see, it's only natural for these two Starly to compete against each other for everything, we're just going to have to get used to it."

"That's going to be fun," groaned Sam, "I'm going to be pulling our two Starly apart for the rest of this Journey, aren't I?"

"Probably," said Niya as she bit into some toast, "But on the plus side, if yours wins, you'll know it's the better Starly."

Jeremy let out a laugh. "We all know _my_ Starly is the better Starly," he said plainly, "He almost won this morning, there's no way Sam's Starly could beat him."

Sam looked over at Jeremy. "Now hold on there," he intervened, "Who said your Starly was any good? My Starly is much tamer, and more obedient. And his feathers are nicer!"

"Oh please," argued Jeremy, "Your Starly couldn't even hold his own against a scruffy little Glameow let alone _my_ Starly."

"Oh yeah?" challenged Sam, to which Jeremy replied with, "Oh yeah!"

The two instantly turned back to their breakfasts and refused to look or talk to each other for the rest of the meal.

"It seems that Male Starly aren't the only Pokémon that like to compete over _everything_ ," joked Alyssandra.

Niya smiled. "I know," she said, "Men, whether they're Pokémon or people, are _all_ the same."

The girls laughed, but neither of the boys found it funny, and instead stood up from the table—glaring at each other from across the table—and walked off in separate directions.

"Ugh," groaned Alyssandra, "They're going to be like this until Oreburgh, I know it."

"Do you deal with this on a daily basis?" asked Niya as she finished off her toast casually.

Alyssandra shook her head. "Well, not all the time," she replied, "They're been rather well behaved lately, but it seems that this whole Starly thing has them acting like children again. Seriously."

"So, what do you plan to do?" asked Niya, "If I may suggest, a large stick usually works wonders."

Alyssandra held back a laugh. "No, I think I'll just talk to them this time," she smiled.

"I'll take Sam, you take Jeremy," said Niya as she stood up.

"Why do you get Sam?" Alyssandra asked curiously.

"Because Sam and I have this…special connection," said Niya as Alyssandra and her walked towards the door of the Pokémon Centre.

"It's because he's stubborn as a brick wall and you're blunt and to the point isn't it?" asked Alyssandra.

Niya smiled. "That, and I'd _love_ to just deflate his ego," she joked.

Alyssandra smiled. "Well don't deflate it too much, I do like him with that ego," said Alyssandra "It gives him confidence."

The two girls shot off down opposite ends of the streets, looking to catch up with their friends.

After almost twenty minutes of searching, Niya finally found Sam sitting outside of a café, a warm coffee on the table, and a newspaper in his hands. Niya approached Sam instantly not taking a second to think about a plan of approach.

"Well, hello there, sir," she said jokingly, "May I sit with you?"

Sam lowered the newspaper and just stared blankly at her, to which Niya replied with an over exaggerated look of surprise and shock, and a small gasped.

"My goodness, it's Sam," she said with an exaggerated tone, "Whoever would've guessed. The way you sat there I would've thought you were thirty years older."

"Oh please, spare my intelligence," he said as he returned to his newspaper, "You're not shocked at all."

Niya sat down across from Sam, with her legs crossed one over the other,

"Actually, I am," she said, "I'm shocked you can read."

"Did you come here to insult me, or did you lose a coin toss with Lyss?" asked Sam in a saline tone.

Niya smiled as a waiter came by and brought her a coffee. "Man, I love this instant service thing," she said, "But no, I volunteered to come here if you must know."

"Why?" asked Sam, "To make fun of me?"

"No, not only for that," she said, "I also came to talk some sense into you. Seriously, this is some good service _and_ good coffee."

"Jeez, your attention span is shorter than mine," said Sam as he put his newspaper down and took a drink from his cup, "But since you're here to talk, then talk."

"Right," said Niya as she placed her cup down, "Look, I don't see why you and Jeremy are the ones fighting. It's your Starly that are supposed to be competing, not you two."

"He insulted my Pokémon," stated Sam.

"So? What does that have to do with you?" asked Niya, "Let him fight with your Pokémon then."

"It's not just that he insulted my Pokémon," said Sam, "It's the principle of the thing. By mocking my Pokémon, he was mocking how I raise them and if there's anyone that knows about raising Pokémon in this group it's me. It's in my blood, and I've spent summers learning to care for Pokémon on the ranch."

"I see," said Niya, "Interesting. Well, you definitely have a right to be mad, but I suppose Jeremy does as well."

"Oh yeah, and why's that?" asked Sam as another coffee was brought to him.

"Hell, if I know," said Niya as she finished off her coffee and wiped the foam from her mouth, "You'll have to ask him that yourself."

"Then how can you say he has a reason?" asked Sam.

"Because," stated Niya, "Everyone has a reason for doing what they do. Nothing happens without a reason. If he is mad, he has a reason, even if we don't know what it is."

"Well it's probably a wrong reason," said Sam.

"And even if it is, it's still a reason," said Niya sternly, "And you still owe it to him to listen. Understand?"

Sam sighed. "All right fine!" he said, "I'll do it. But only if he comes to me first."

Niya sighed, but quickly regained her composure. "May I ask something?"

Sam nodded, to which Niya replied. "Why did you come here of all places?"

Sam paused for a moment, debating on whether he should tell Niya the truth.

This was something he had never shared with anyone, not even Alyssandra or Jeremy. Finally, Sam agreed that he could trust Niya; she wasn't the type to tell people things that were meant to remain secret.

"Promise to keep it a secret?" asked Sam; Niya nodded in agreement.

"All right well, I heard stories from my grandmother and the rest of my family that this café was where my grandparents met over fifty years ago. They were twenty, and a few months later they got married."

"Things were definitely different in those days," said Niya whimsically, the only time Sam had seen her like this.

She paused and realized he had noticed her whimsical attitude, to which she replied. "Hey, I'm a sucker for a good romance and a hopeless romantic myself, sue me!"

Sam chuckled a bit and continued his story. "You know, just a few months before my grandfather passed away just after they reached their fiftieth anniversary," reminisced Sam. "That was almost seven years ago…but that's not the only reason I came here. I also came here because this place also happens to be where my parents met. My mother met my father here when she was eighteen, coming here with her parents on a visit to the city for vacation."

Niya paused for a moment, realizing the somewhat pained tone coming into Sam's voice. "You never knew your parents, did you?" she asked softly.

Sam shook his head. "No," he replied. "My mother died in childbirth with me, and from what I was told my father left before I was born. No one knows where he is, or if he's still alive. We don't speak about it, so I don't really bother asking questions. Anyway, I came here because when I was a kid, I vowed that one day when I came to this city I would sit down in this café and meet the woman of my dreams."

Niya smiled softly at Sam, and gently patted his arm. "Well, my friend, the girl you want is in another castle," smiled Niya.

"No not you!" responded Sam quickly, "No, no, no, no! I was hoping—well, I was hoping it would be someone else."

"You were _hoping_ that you would come here with Lyss, huh?" asked Niya as she returned to her coffee, watching the surprised remark on Sam's face. "Oh please, everyone knows. You don't make it obvious in the sense that you're trying too hard, but it's obvious in just…well I don't know, it's predictable."

"Yeah, Jeremy's mother said that once," laughed Sam, "I don't know why I've never asked her."

"Because you're a coward when it comes to woman, and a lion against everything else," said Niya simply, "But that's all right, it's kind of cute actually, and I'm sure once Lyss finds out she'll think so too."

"You have just this awesome way of making people feel better about themselves, you know?" said Sam sarcastically as he placed some bills on the table and he and Niya began to walk down the street.

"Besides," said Sam as he placed his hands in his pockets, "It's not like I could ask her out anyway. She likes some other guy back in Twinleaf."

"Hmm," said Niya with a furrowed brow, "She's never mentioned that to me, I'll have to ask her later. Regardless though, you need to keep fighting for her, if you want her that bad, keep fighting! If anything, this anger you have towards Jeremy right now should be redirected towards the asshole trying to take your woman."

"How do you know he's an asshole?" asked Sam, "No better question, why the sudden support?"

"Well, let's just say I've done my years of hopeful wishing," answered Niya, "And I know you'll be good to her."

"Well, thank you," said Sam.

All of a sudden, Sam heard several trashcans hitting the ground, and the screams of a loud and angry crowd. Sam and Niya turned to their left, to witness a loud angry mob hammering away at the doors of some tall building with broadcasting towers on top.

"Hey, that's the Pokétch Company building!" pointed out Niya, "Why the crowd though?"

"I don't know, but they seem angry," said Sam.

The two approached the crowd and walked up to some of the stragglers at the back of the group.

"What's going on here?" asked Sam.

One of the men in the crowd, with large scraggy hair and a big walrus moustache responded. "Our Pokétch are malfunctioning!" he shouted.

"Well that's hardly a reason to riot in the streets," stated Niya.

"It's the _type_ of malfunction that has us this angry," said the man, "We all checked our PCs this morning, and found out that they've been emptied! All our Pokémon, gone! We want our Pokémon back and an explanation!"

The man then turned around and returned to rioting with the crowd.

Niya and Sam stepped back from the crowd and thought about what the man had said.

"It's times like this that I'm lucky my Pokémon are either with Professor Rowan or at my family ranch," said Sam.

Niya nodded in agreement. "I keep my Pokémon in my party or with my aunt, Fantina. I know that when they're with her they're always kept in Contest shape even if I'm not using them."

"Hey, you guys!" shouted Alyssandra as her and Jeremy dashed towards the two of them.

"What's going on here?" she asked.

Niya and Sam explained quickly, and all of them looked at each other, sighing thankfully as they realized the same thing that Sam had.

"So, what are we going to do?" asked Alyssandra.

"What can we do?" Sam retorted quickly.

"Lyss is right," said Niya, "Something doesn't seem right about this. The Pokétch Company wouldn't just be taking Pokémon from people, it's too small for that kind of operation, and besides, what could they possibly gain from it?"

"Who knows, but we're about to find out; look!" said Sam as he pointed towards the street corner, "It's Officer Jenny and Looker, from before when Jeremy and I—"

Sam stopped midsentence, realizing that he and Jeremy still weren't talking.

The group remained silent until Niya, with the roll of her eyes, led the group towards the two officers.

"Officer Jenny, Looker," said Sam, "Nice to see you again."

"Oh, Sam, it's you!" exclaimed Officer Jenny, "I'm glad that you're here."

"Why?" asked Niya, "What could Sam possibly offer you guys?"

Sam glared at Niya, but he knew on the inside she was only joking.

"Do you remember what I told you about Team Galactic the other day?" asked Officer Jenny, "Well this is one of their operations that has affected the city."

"What do you mean Officer?" asked Alyssandra, "How could they have caused this?"

"We're not sure," answered Looker, the first time Sam had ever heard him speak—his voice was deep and commanded authority. "But we know this has Team Galactic written all over it. It would appear that grunt from yesterday had a hand in this too."

"How is that possible?" asked Sam, "What are they doing?"

"They're stealing Pokémon from people's PCs using the Pokétch PC application. They've taken over the Pokétch Company Building and are abusing their technology for their own selfish gains," explained Looker, "They've got all of the workers and the company president locked up in there as hostages, and they've completely bared entrance from the outside."

"What do you want us to do?" asked Jeremy—Sam looked away as he spoke.

"Infiltrate the building somehow," said Looker, "I know it's a very movie-like scene, and that you're only children, but any attempt at us trying to approach the building would cause the entire operation to leave this location. But they won't be on guard for you guys, you're just kids. Make it look like an accident, that you're just walking by, down the back alley or something and get inside. Find out what's going on when you're in there, and try to shut the operation down, we'll follow you in once you reach the nerve centre of their Pokémon stealing rig."

"We can do that," said Sam, "I have an idea how to get in, come on!"

The group took off towards the back alleyway behind the building and paused as they entered it. They scanned the area for cameras and saw one sitting above the backdoor.

"We'll need to take out the camera before we can break in," explained Sam, "Once we do we'll only have a few minutes before someone comes to check on us. I'm going to use Starly to cut the camera, and I'll break the hinges with my Prinplup and Chimchar."

Sam stood to the side of the camera, not wanting to be seen by it, and tossed a Poké Ball in the air. "Go, Starly!" he shouted, "Use Wing Attack and destroy that camera!"

Starly chirped obediently and flew towards the camera, parallel to the ground. As it passed by, it slicked the camera in half; effectively ending its usefulness to anyone inside.

"Now's our chance!" said Sam, "Prinplup, Chimchar, we're going to take down that door! Chimchar use Ember to heat up the hinges, then Prinplup, I want you to quickly use your Bubble Beam to cool the hinges off quickly! Then both of you do it again!"

Sam's Pokémon did as commanded as the rapid heating and cooling of the hinges occurred, the hinges began to grow brittle and fall apart.

"All right, that should do it," said Sam, "I'll take it from here you two!"

Sam charged towards the door, his shoulder lowered toward it, and he rammed right into it. The door wobbled, but didn't break, so Sam repeated this action, until finally, the door broke down. Sam stood up, and everyone filed into the doublewide hallway, their Pokémon released as well.

Sam knew that to be more efficient, everyone would have to split off into two groups, and he knew didn't want to go with Jeremy, not after this morning, so he would leave the groups up to the others—or else he would just use the same groups as this morning.

"Let's split up," said Sam decisively, "One of us will go left, the other goes right."

"Why can't we just search together?" asked Alyssandra, "It's scary in here."

"Oh, toughen up," said Jeremy, "We need to split up to cover more ground, it's just common sense."

Sam and Jeremy turned away from each other, while both of their Starly were glaring hard at each other.

"Well, if we're going to split up we'll at least swap partners," said Niya, "I'll go with Jeremy, Lyss, you go with Sam."

"And maybe I can succeed where you failed," whispered Alyssandra as the two girls passed each other to follow their partner down their respective hallways.

Niya nodded in agreement as she passed Alyssandra, and the two shot off into the darkness of the hallways.

"It's like they turned the power off in here," said Alyssandra as she, Sam and their Pokémon explored the halls in the dark.

"Well, something like stealing thousands of people's Pokémon would take a lot of power," stated Sam, "They probably redirected the power to whatever machine they're using to steal the Pokémon, so they could do more at once."

Alyssandra nodded. "Let's go find out where they're doing this."

Sam and Alyssandra continued down the hallway, turning right, and left until they reached an impasse.

"We have one hallway to the left, and one straight ahead," said Sam, "I hate to say it, but we need to split up."

"What, why?" asked Alyssandra.

"Because we'll get more searching done that way. If anything happens just scream or something, and I'll come running," explained Sam, "And if it really comes to a fight you have your Pokémon."

"All right, fine," groaned Alyssandra, "If that's what you want."

Sam continued down the hallway to the left. The walk was silent, except for the sound of his and his Pokémon's footsteps, until a banging sound starting to ring through the hall.

Sam paused, as did his Pokémon, all of them silently looking for the source of the noise. Sam followed the banging noises until it took him to what looked like a storeroom closet.

"It's coming from in here," said Sam as he pressed his ear against the door.

Sam slowly turned the handle and as he did, the door burst open, and a large man in a blue suit burst from closet. He was all tied up, and a gag was in his mouth. He grunted from behind the gag and struggled against his bonds.

"Hold on, I'll get you out," whispered Sam.

Sam untied the gag and released the ropes that bound the man's hands and body, then took him back into the closet and closed the door.

"Just in case they come for us," whispered Sam, "Who are you?"

"I'm the President of the Pokétch Company," said the man as he scratched his beard, "Mr. Rockford is my name. Thank you for saving me by the way."

"Don't mention it," said Sam, "My friends and I are here trying to stop Team Galactic, I'm Sam."

The two men shook hands firmly. "Nice to meet you, Sam," said Mr. Rockford, "Have you found them yet?"

"No, I haven't, but we're still looking," replied Sam, "Can I ask what you're doing in here?"

"It's a long story," sighed the president, "You see, Team Galactic burst in here this morning, they threatened to attack us with their Pokémon, and to blow up the entire building if they didn't get what they wanted."

"What _did_ they want?" asked Sam as he sat down on a nearby box.

"They wanted us to hack into peoples' PCs and steal their Pokémon, using our Pokétch PC application. But, you see, we don't have the authorization to do that, so I told them. I was afraid of something like this happening, so I purposely made it so that we could only deposit Pokémon in our user's PCs, and not withdraw. Well, suffice it to say they weren't happy when we told them that."

"They locked us all up in different parts of the building and brought their own computer technicians into our electrical room. They started to hack the computers themselves, and they've been stealing Pokémon ever since. I've been trying to break free, but they caught me, and tied me up and then threw me in here."

"I see," said Sam, "Do you know how to work the computers and reverse the process?"

The president nodded. "Of course, we may have a large office building, but we're only a small family run business," he replied, "We know how to do every job here in case one of us is sick or away. In fact, I wrote half of the code for the program myself"

"Perfect," said Sam, "We need to stop them, do you have any Pokémon on you?"

"Not on me," he said, "They stole my Luxray, and my other Pokémon are hidden away in my office."

"All right, I'll do the fighting then, stay close to me," said Sam as he and Mr. Rockford exited the closet and scanned the hallway, "Do you know which way the computer room is from here?"

"I do. Come I'll show you," he said continuing down the hallway.

Sam followed Mr. Rockford. The building was like a maze, and Sam knew that if he missed even one turn he would get lost.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of walking, they reached the electrical room. Sam and the president stopped in the doorway, ducking behind a nearby machine as to not be seen.

"We have almost seven hundred Pokémon stolen from people just in this city alone," said one of the grunts sitting at the computer.

"Good, I'll inform the boss of this. He'll be happy to know the operation is a success," said a tall, thin man with blue hair that curved into a half moon shape like two horns, "We'll prepare to leave soon. I'll have the Pokémon loaded onto the trucks out back, don't leave anything behind, destroy the machines when you're done."

"Yes sir!" replied the grunts, and the man left the room.

"All right, now's our chance to strike," said Sam to Mr. Rockford, "Looker and Officer Jenny are probably outside stopping the trucks right now. If we capture these grunts we can stop the operation completely."

Sam returned his Prinplup and Chimchar to their Poké Balls, but kept his Starly out for battling purposes, and prepared to jump out from behind the machine. He stopped however, when he saw Niya and Alyssandra being dragged into the room, with their hands tied behind their backs, and Galactic grunts on their side of them.

"They have Alyssandra," hissed Sam to himself.

Sam looked back at the president, then at Alyssandra, before returning his attention to the president.

"You need to escape," said Sam, "Run outside through the backdoor, and go find Officer Jenny and Looker. Tell them to come now."

"What about you?" asked Mr. Rockford.

"I'll be okay," said Sam, "I'll hold these guys off, now hurry, before they catch you!"

Mr. Rockford did as he was told and ran off down the hallway towards the back entrance.

Sam turned back to the situation at hand just in time to see Jeremy dash into the room and tackle the two grunts that were guarding Niya and Alyssandra. As the three of them hit the ground, one of the grunts fell unconscious, and Sam took the chance to jump out from behind the machine.

"Now, Starly, use Wing Attack to cut their bindings!" shouted Sam as he pointed to Alyssandra and Niya.

"Starly!" cried the Pokémon, as it flew towards the two girls at top speeds, cutting their bonds as it passed.

Jeremy and the girls dashed over beside Sam in the confusion, and Jeremy—who also had his Starly out—looked over at Sam.

"Not bad," he said with a small smile, "But let's see if you can best my Starly's skill in this battle."

The two grunts stood up, and both released a Golbat to combat the two Starly.

"Golbat, use Poison Sting, both of you!" shouted one of the grunts.

"Starly, dodge!" said Jeremy.

"You, too Starly!" shouted Sam.

Both Starly were too slow however, and they took the Poison Sting straight on.

"Starly!" shouted Sam and Jeremy in unison; the two friends looked at each other as they did.

"Starly, swing to the left and use Wing Attack on Golbat!" commanded Jeremy.

"I can do better than that," smiled Sam, "Starly, use our manoeuvre that we practiced before!"

While Jeremy's Starly attacked Golbat, Sam's Starly ducked low to the floor, flying at top speed. As he neared one of the Golbat, it prepared its Wing Attack, then flew underneath it, and pulled up quickly, attacking it from below.

Sam and Jeremy's Starly flew back to their Trainers as their attacks landed, but Team Galactic wasn't going to give up so easily.

"Now, both of you Golbat, use Confuse Ray, then follow it up with Swift!" shouted the grunts.

"Dodge, Starly!" cried the two boys in unison.

"Starly, spin around Golbat really fast and prepare a Wing Attack!" shouted Jeremy.

"You too Starly! Do it in the opposite direction!" said Sam.

The two Starly instantly shot top speed into the air near the ceiling, circling around the two Golbat quickly, their wings glowing, ready to attack.

"Faster, Starly!" cried Sam.

"You too, Starly!" shouted Jeremy.

Both Starly tried to speed up, each trying to outdo the other. Suddenly, both Starly started to glow and their entire bodies shone white as they spun around the confused Golbat.

As the light finally broke from their bodies in several white sparkles, both Pokémon emerged as Staravia.

"They evolved into Staravia!" exclaimed Alyssandra, "They competed against each other so vigorously that they evolved together. Maybe now their little feud will end."

"Actually, according to the book I read before, it's supposed to get worse now that they've evolved," explained Niya.

Alyssandra sighed. "Great," groaning in annoyance.

"Now, Staravia, Wing Attack!" shouted Sam and Jeremy together.

Both Pokémon dashed towards their targets, and as they struck their mark, the Golbat collapsed unconscious.

"No!" cried the Galactic Grunts.

All of a sudden, the grunts were grabbed from behind, as several police officers, led by Officer Jenny and Looker poured into the room.

"Nicely done, all of you," said Looker as he came by and shook each of the groups' hands, "I can't begin to thank you enough for what you did."

"Looker is right," said Officer Jenny, "You did the city a great service."

"It was nothing," smiled Sam as he and Jeremy returned their Pokémon to their Poké Balls, "Are the stolen Pokémon okay? I heard one of their superiors talk about loading them onto a truck."

"Yes, thankfully we managed to stop the truck and apprehend the drivers before they got away," said Looker, "If you hadn't sent Mr. Rockford to find us when you did they would've escaped."

"Well, he didn't have any of his Pokémon on him," said Sam, "And if we failed, we didn't want anything to happen to him, so I felt it the only logical thing to do. Honestly though, I couldn't have done any of this without my friends—they came in here with me, and especially Jeremy here, he helped me battle the grunts with his Staravia."

"We'll make sure you get honourable mentions in the newspaper," said Officer Jenny, "This is twice in two days that you've saved Jubilife City from trouble like this."

"And on behalf of the International Police, I'd like to present each of you with these medals," said Looker as he held out his hand, "They commemorate your service today."

"Awesome!" said Alyssandra as she took a ribbon and pinned it on the strap of her shoulder bag.

"Now, let's start processing these criminals," said Looker.

"Yes, Looker, sir!" saluted Officer Jenny, and together the two of them escorted the other police officers and the arrested Galactic grunts from the building.

Sam then turned to Jeremy and extended his hand slowly. "Look, I'm sorry for fighting," he said, "You raised your Starly pretty well—it even evolved already too."

"Same to you," apologized Jeremy, "I shouldn't have doubted your skills at raising Pokémon. It's just, I felt a bit jealous, because you have all this experience at raising Pokémon due to the family ranch business. And everyone's always going about how you're following in your grandfather's footsteps, and your destined to become a great Trainer—"

"It's all right, I understand," smiled Sam, and the two drew in for a man-hug.

"Well, at least you two learned to settle your fighting calmly and quietly," said Alyssandra, "Usually it would've come to blows."

"Well, even if it did, I would've won," laughed Sam as the group began to walk down the hallways of the building to the exit.

"And who says I wouldn't have won?" asked Jeremy, "I'm strong too you know."

"I know," said Sam, "But most of the other times I've won."

"But that doesn't mean you'll win now!" argued Jeremy.

"Oh yeah?!" argued Sam, to which Jeremy replied, "Oh yeah!"

Alyssandra groaned as the group continued to walk down the hall, Sam and Jeremy arguing all the way to the exit.

"I guess I spoke too soon," she sighed.

"Well, the book _did_ say the competition was going to get worse now that they evolved," said Niya, "But it never did specify to whom it was referring."

"Well, Niya," said Alyssandra as she ignored Sam and Jeremy fighting up ahead, "Did I tell you that I got a Mime Jr. while I was exploring the place?"

"Really?!" asked Niya, "How'd you manage that?"

"One of the researchers gave it to me for rescuing them," said Alyssandra, "She said she would be happier if she knew that Mime Jr. was safe with me—plus she didn't have much time anymore to care for it."

"Doesn't Mime Jr. know Double Slap?" asked Niya.

Alyssandra nodded in response. "Why?" she asked.

"Maybe we could use it to knock some sense into the boys," laughed Niya.

Alyssandra laughed as well; although she knew that no matter how much Sam and Jeremy argued, they were friends—just like everyone was—and no matter how hard things got, they'd always have each other's back. These fights were just tests of friendship, and as far as Alyssandra knew, they passed—even if it wasn't perfectly, they still passed.


	13. 11 - En Route to Oreburgh

~ Chapter 11 ~

En Route to Oreburgh

" _We set out from Jubilife the day after the Team Galactic incident. Our next stop was Oreburgh City, and my first Gym Battle. I planned to practice long and hard to prepare. Niya and Jeremy helped me to prepare, and even Alyssandra joined in, hoping to improve her battling skills for her next Pokémon Contest. We practiced like this once a day—but don't get the wrong idea, just because we devoted most of our time to practice didn't mean that we weren't without our distractions or adventures. You will soon come to learn—if you haven't already that is—that our adventures through the years have always tended to lead us into very…interesting situations."_

"Good job!" cheered Niya as Sam's Staravia took out her Roserade, "Your Pokémon are almost at Gym battle potential."

"Almost?" complained Sam as he returned his Staravia to his Poké Ball.

"Well, I'm comparing you to my Aunt Fantina, and those who have challenged her," said Niya, "I know she's a lot higher up in the Gym Leader roster than Roark, but it's better to train yourself to be better than the opponent you're going up against."

"Fair enough," said Sam as he sat down on a nearby stump, "Can I take a break at least? If not for me, for my Pokémon; they're still tired from battling that Turtwig I caught yesterday."

"All right, take a break," said Niya, "It'll give my Pokémon a chance to rest as well, plus I'm hungry. You and Jeremy can keep training your Pokémon after lunch."

"Are we going to keep teaching Staravia and Luxio those moves you've been telling me about?" asked Sam as he and Niya walked back to the camp.

"Of course," she said, "Your Pokémon need a lot more work on them if you want them ready to use for your Gym Battle."

Sam nodded. "I understand," he said, "I'll do whatever it takes. Staravia and Luxio may be at a disadvantage type wise, but with these secret weapons, I'll be able to even the playing field."

"Not to mention you'll have the element of surprise," added Niya, "That is the key to gaining the upper hand against your opponent in both Contests and Battles."

"If I haven't said this before, I _love_ that you're on this adventure with us," joked Sam as he and Niya sat down around the fire at the campsite.

"You could stand to mention it more," joked Niya, "But like I said with Lyss, I'm more than happy to help you guys out and pass on my knowledge. I've been where you guys are, and I had help when I needed it, so it's only fair I do the same for you guys."

Alyssandra walked from the girls' tent. "How'd training go today?" she asked as she sat beside Niya.

"It's going well," answered Niya, "Sam's starting to look like a real Trainer and not just some kid with a Pokémon."

"Very funny," said Sam, rolling his eyes, "I take back what I said about enjoying you being here."

"That's all right," said Niya jokingly, "I don't enjoy your company either."

"So, what have you guys been doing all day?" asked Sam, "Mourning my absence?"

"Actually, Jeremy has been preparing lunch, and I have been scouring the nearby forest for a Buneary," answered Alyssandra.

"A Buneary?" asked Sam.

"Yeah, the pre-evolved form of Lopunny," replied Alyssandra, "I've always wanted one! Valentina had one when she was still travelling around Sinnoh, it's with my brother on his travels now."

"Any luck?" inquired Sam, to which Alyssandra shook her head.

"Nope, none!" said Alyssandra, "I've looked everywhere, which is really weird because this forest is nicknamed the Buneary Playground. It's supposed to be overflowing in them."

"Maybe they've migrated somewhere else because of food or weather," suggested Niya.

"Or maybe they're all in hiding," joked Sam, "They took one look at a scary girl with a Poké Ball and dove into their little warrens."

Alyssandra shot Sam a glare, which instantly caused him to look away in terror.

"I'm going to go out and try again after lunch," sighed Alyssandra, "I just hope I find one today—I don't want to hold up our journey."

"Hang in there," said Niya supportively, "I'm sure you'll find one. If it's worth fighting for the it's worth waiting for."

"So, what's for lunch?" asked Sam, as he looked over to the small tent where Jeremy had set up the cooking fire inside.

"Why isn't Jeremy using this fire here?" asked Niya.

"He says he needs a tight enclosed space," replied Alyssandra, "He refused to say what for, or what he's cooking for lunch either."

"Well it smells good," said Sam as he sniffed the air, "Kind of like meat, actually…wait a minute, this is—"

Sam stopped mid-sentence as Jeremy exited the tent, smoke billowing from opened flap and a covered pot in his hands. He placed the pot down on a nearby rock, and smiled at Sam.

"It's exactly what you think it is," he said, "The De Oliveira Secret Recipe for Smoked, Glazed and Barbequed Chicken!"

"I didn't know that you could do all of that to a single piece of meat," said Niya.

"My mother's family found a way," said Jeremy as he opened the pot and showed the glazed, delicious chicken legs and breasts that lay in the pot, "The secret is to do all three at once. You need to cook it in a small, airtight windowless room, and then build up a lot of smoke. This smokes the chicken, and while it smokes you want to grill it over a flame on a grill or barbecue. Then, after it's grilled, you dip it into the family's secret glaze, and voila! It's finished!"

Jeremy quickly reclosed the lid of the pot and placed it inside of the burning campfire in the middle of the camp.

"I need to keep it warm," said Jeremy, "The rice is cooking now, but it's almost finished—in fact I think it's done just about now, I'll be back."

"Have you ever had his family chicken?" asked Niya as Jeremy re-entered the smoking tent, "I don't ever remember that recipe from when we used to eat dinner there as children."

"Yeah, it's delicious," said Alyssandra reassuringly, "We've had it many times during summer nights when we'd go over to Jeremy's house; after you moved away that is. We've had it made by almost every member of the De Oliveira family, and Jeremy's is no lesser quality than anyone's. He's a pretty good cook."

"Good, I'm glad," said Niya, "I wouldn't want to be poisoned so soon in this Journey. It may be my second time around, but I plan to see more of Sinnoh this time."

"Hey, Sam, can you bring me a carrot from the food bag?" called Jeremy from the tent, "I want some vegetables to add to the rice."

"Coming!" replied Sam as he rummaged through the bag for a carrot.

As he got it, he walked towards Jeremy's tent, when suddenly, a flash of beige and brown dashed passed Sam, and grabbed the carrot, before landing on the other end of the camp.

Everyone looked at the Pokémon that had stolen the carrot, and to Alyssandra's surprise and happiness, it was a Buneary.

"Buneary!" cried the Pokémon as he looked at everyone.

"It's a Buneary!" exclaimed Alyssandra, "I'm going to catch it!"

As Alyssandra grabbed her Poké Balls and an empty Poké Ball from her nearby bag, the Buneary jumped up over the nearby foot high ledge and ran off into the forest.

"I'll be back in a bit! Keep the food warm!" shouted Alyssandra as she ran off after the Buneary.

"You better come back here with that carrot too!" shouted Jeremy after her, "Or don't bother coming back at all!" Jeremy was very serious about his cooking.

Sam sighed as he sat down on the stump again. "And _I_ have a short attention span," he said.

Niya shrugged. "Oh well, that'll just give us more time to train you, come on Sam, let's get some battling done while she's gone."

Alyssandra ran through the forest, closely behind the Buneary, but was forced to stop as she lost sight of the Pokémon.

"Hey," said Alyssandra as she looked around the nearby clearing, "Where'd you go?"

All of a sudden, the Buneary jumped from the bushes behind Alyssandra, and used its Jump Kick attack to knock her to the ground.

The Buneary continued to bounce until it stood before Alyssandra, its hands on its hips and a determined look on its face.

Alyssandra stood up. "That wasn't very nice!" she cried, "But you're probably feeling threatened with me standing in your territory like this huh?"

"Buneary!" shouted the Buneary angrily.

"Well, I'll just have to battle you then," said Alyssandra as she drew a Poké Ball, "If I want to catch you that is—" Alyssandra threw her Poké Ball quickly, "—Go, Piplup!"

"Piplup!" chirped the small, penguin-like Pokémon as it was released from its Poké Ball.

"Piplup, use Peck attack!" cried Alyssandra, but Buneary was too quick, and jumped as Piplup came at it, then jumped off Piplup's head and jumped into the air.

Buneary then quickly spun around, with its foot pointing straight down at Piplup.

"Piplup, dodge!" shouted Alyssandra with slight panic. Piplup was too slow, and Buneary landed its attack on target, sending Piplup to the ground, while Buneary bounced off Piplup and jumped back, preparing for its next attack.

"Piplup are you okay?!" called Alyssandra with desperation in her voice.

Piplup nodded and stumbled as it stood up, to which Alyssandra was both proud and worried.

"Can you keep going Piplup?" she asked.

Her Piplup nodded vigorously, refusing to back down.

"All right then Piplup," she said, "Let's keep our distance then, since Buneary seems to prefer counter attacks and close combat, try a Bubble attack!"

Buneary dodged the attack again and hopped towards Piplup.

"Piplup, it's prepping for a Jump Kick again!" cried Alyssandra, "I want you to hold you ground, understand? Don't move until I tell you to!"

Piplup held strong as it was told and waited as the Buneary neared to landing its attack.

As Buneary jumped into the air and prepared to Jump Kick Piplup, Alyssandra took the moment to strike. "Now, Piplup, use Peck, but hold still and let Buneary come to you!" she cried.

Piplup, once again, did as asked and Buneary came in for the attack, but the attack didn't land, as Buneary's foot struck Piplup's glowing, beak.

The Buneary jumped back in pain and hopped on one foot as pain shot through its foot.

"Now's our chance, Piplup!" shouted Alyssandra, "Use Bubble and knock the Buneary down!"

Piplup shot several bubbles from its mouth, which struck Buneary and sent it flying back, but the Buneary wasn't done yet, and it quickly stood back up.

"Buneary!" cried the Pokémon, angrier than ever.

The Buneary charged towards Piplup, readying a Dizzy Punch, its ears glowing in preparation for the attack.

Alyssandra acted on instinct and did the first thing that came to mind. "Charge it, Piplup!" she shouted, "Charge Buneary and use Peck!"

The two Pokémon rushed at each other, with both of their attacks ready to land, but neither of them knew who the victor would be, only that this would be the strike that would win the match.

Sam, Jeremy and Niya eyed the pot of food that sat in the fire while they waited for Alyssandra.

They had been waiting for almost an hour while Alyssandra was out chasing and battling the Buneary that had stolen the carrot.

After twenty minutes Jeremy gave up on her, and got another carrot instead, but still everyone refused to eat without her—despite how painful it was.

Finally, after Jeremy was about to reach into the pot and throw caution to the wind, Alyssandra returned to camp, a large smile on her face and a Poké Ball in her hand.

"I did it!" she cheered, "I caught the Buneary!"

"Congratulations!" shouted Jeremy, "Can we eat now?"

Alyssandra nodded as she took a seat and picked up her plate and cutlery.

Jeremy quickly handed food out to everyone, and then hungrily began to dig into it himself.

"So," said Sam between bites of chicken, "How'd you do it?"

"Well, it wasn't easy," said Alyssandra, "They took powerful shots at each other—my Piplup and the Buneary—and just when I thought I had it beat, the Buneary struck with a Dizzy Punch before my Piplup's charging Peck could land, and my Piplup fainted."

"So, it ran away, and you kept chasing?" asked Jeremy, "Is that why it took so long?"

"No, not quite," said Alyssandra as she bit into her chicken, "I wasn't going to let it run away again, so I quickly recalled my Piplup and then sent out my Shinx. It was another long, tough battle, but just as it seemed my Shinx was about to collapse, it let out a final burst of lightning, and the Buneary fell to its knee. So, I threw my Poké Ball, and as if by some stroke of luck, managed to catch the Buneary!"

"You know," started Niya as she finished her rice, "By the way this food is amazing—anyway, as I was saying, some Pokémon can't be caught by just knocking them out and catching them, sometimes you need to make the Pokémon acknowledge you and your strength as a Trainer before it submits to being caught."

"Niya's right," said Sam, "And other times it's just a stroke of sheer dumb luck."

"And then there are the times when you catch a Pokémon and it _still_ won't submit after being caught," noted Niya, "My Buizel was very much like that when I first caught it. It refused to listen to a single command I gave it. I never used to use it in battle or Contests because it just wouldn't listen to me; ugh it was so frustrating, and at the same time it made me worry if I was doing something wrong to it."

"So how did you get it to listen?" asked Alyssandra, "Just in case my Buneary starts to give me problems."

Niya paused between bites and thought for a minute. "You know I don't really know, but I kept at it, no matter how many times I was told to release it. Eventually, it grew to trust me and respect me as a Trainer, and now we get along famously. In fact, it was thanks to Buizel's strength that I won the Battle portion of the finals in the Sinnoh Grand Festival two years ago, and it also won me the Appeal portion of the semi-finals in the Wallace Cup—which I also won that same year."

"You've had a busy life," joked Sam as he and Jeremy started to spoon seconds onto their plates.

"Well, I think this advice is great," said Alyssandra, "Now I know how to take care Buneary if it gets difficult. It's definitely a wild one, I'll give it that."


	14. 12 - Mime Jr's Play Time

~ Chapter 12 ~

Mime Jr.'s Play Time

" _Sometimes the things that distract us or hold up our travels aren't always caused by us. Sometimes the Pokémon themselves just like to let loose and enjoy a bit of the scenery. Pokémon are just like humans, and anyone who says otherwise shouldn't be allowed to own a Pokémon. All Pokémon are unique; with their own personalities, wants and needs, just like humans. If you ever travel with your Pokémon, when the Pokémon want something, it's best to remain patient and give it to them, lest things turn ugly. Pokémon have feelings, wants, and needs too after all."_

Sam grumbled as he and the others watched the rain pour over the tent and campsite outside.

"It's been raining for three days!" cried Sam; "We've been stuck in the tent since the day you caught that Buneary!"

"Well don't yell at me about it," said Alyssandra, "It's not my fault! Rain happens!"

"I still don't see why we can't just go on ahead," complained Jeremy as he rolled over in his sleeping bag, "It's just a bit of rain, it's not even that hard."

"Because the road ahead leads to the mountains," explained Niya, "It's very rock, cliffy and is made of soft soil that tends to collapse and cause mudslides and avalanches when wet."

"Oh…that's a pretty good reason I suppose," said Jeremy, "Thank goodness our tents attach; more company that way."

"Yeah, our families were really thinking when they got these for us," said Alyssandra happily, "I just wish there were more amenities, so we weren't so bored."

"Well you can't have everything," shrugged Sam, "Oh—wait look! The rain's letting up! Let's take this chance to eat."

"Shouldn't we pack up?" asked Jeremy, "And move on?"

"Why?" asked Niya as the group exited the tent, "The rain just comes back every time we leave the tent anyway. We missed breakfast because of the rain, so we may as well enjoy a meal now before the rain continues."

The group quickly began to set up a campfire, using the wood that they kept stored in the spare tent—which Jeremy had previously used for smoking his chicken the other day.

As they got the fire started, they each pulled up a rock for them to sit on and started to debate what type of food they should cook.

"Something quick but filling," suggested Sam, "If it rains again I don't want to get caught in it trying to cook our food. I'd rather get something that will last until the rain stops again but won't take too long to cook."

"Sounds good to me," said Alyssandra as she wrung the remaining rain from her hair, "I already got soaked earlier chasing after Mime Jr., and I'd really rather not get soaked again."

"Why'd it just go running off like that?" asked Jeremy as passed some oatmeal over to Sam, "That's not typical Pokémon behaviour is it?"

"Well, that depends," said Niya, "Some Pokémon behaviour can't be described or explained, just like human behaviour, but typically speaking, no this isn't normal. Most Pokémon don't run off into the forest in the middle of a rainstorm for no reason. Perhaps he got scared or something?"

Alyssandra shrugged. "Whatever it was it took a half hour to get him back into his Poké Ball," said Alyssandra, "I don't know why, but Mime Jr. hasn't been like that before, I've only had him for a week, but he's been pretty obedient so far."

"Well, you can ask Nurse Joy at the next Pokémon Centre. If we ever get there that is," said Sam as he stirred the oatmeal, "If we do, it's just outside the entrance to Oreburgh Gate."

"Why is there a Pokémon Centre outside of a city gate?" asked Alyssandra.

"It's not an actual gate," explained Niya, "It's a tunnel; a cave really. But it's filled with some pretty temperamental Pokémon, so the Pokémon Centre is there just in case people get injured, lost or attacked."

"Sounds pleasant," said Alyssandra sarcastically, "I can't wait to visit."

"All right, foods ready!" cried Sam, "Come get it while it's still dry! Jeremy, go get the food bowls and the Pokémon food so we can feed them too, all right?"

Jeremy nodded, and laid out the food bowls, then carefully filled them with enough food so that they could feed everyone's Pokémon.

Jeremy released his Pokémon first. "Turtwig, Staravia, Pikachu, come on out!" he cried.

Sam released his Pokémon next. "Prinplup, Staravia, Luxio, time to eat!" he said.

"Let's go, Roserade, Combee, Buizel, Cherubi, Drifloon, Glameow!" cried Niya who released her Pokémon next.

Alyssandra was the last to release her Pokémon. "Go, Piplup, Shinx, Buneary, Mime Jr.!" she cried, but as she released her Pokémon, she noticed that one of them was missing.

"Mime Jr. is missing!" she cried.

"What do you mean?" asked Sam, "Where could he go?"

"I don't know!" cried Alyssandra in panic as she scurried about the camp looking for the Pokémon, "He was with me this morning, before I took a nap—do you think he escaped during then?"

"Well, it's possible that he let himself out," said Niya, "Pokémon do that sometimes, you know?"

"Where could he have run off to?" asked Alyssandra, "Do you think he ran back into the forest? Maybe he hates me because I took it away from his Trainer! That's why he's running away like this!"

"Well, whatever the reason is, he's only a baby Pokémon," said Sam, "So we need to find him, and you need to remain calm for that to happen."

Alyssandra nodded, realizing that panicking will only make things worse. "All right," she said, "We'll each split up and search the forest."

Everyone nodded, turning to his or her Pokémon. Sam chose his Staravia, as did Jeremy, while Niya picked her Glameow and Alyssandra chose her Shinx.

"All right, Staravia, go up and look for Alyssandra's Mime Jr., I'll follow from the ground," commanded Sam.

"Staravia, we're going to do the same," said Jeremy, "Go in another direction, so that we cover more ground."

"Glameow, I want you to sniff out Mime Jr.'s scent in this forest," said Niya, "Alyssandra I recommend you do the same. Do you have his Poké Ball? We can get his scent from him."

Alyssandra nodded, and knelt, levelling the Poké Ball to Glameow's and Shinx's noses so they could catch a scent. As soon as Glameow and Shinx got the scent, everyone broke into three separate directions, following their own respective Pokémon in search of Mime Jr.

Alyssandra's search led her to follow Niya relatively closely, as Glameow and Shinx followed the same scent more accurately than either Sam's or Jeremy's Staravia.

Finally, after twenty minutes of running behind their Pokémon, Alyssandra and Niya reached an outcropping in a cliff side, and beneath the outcropping played Mime Jr. and with it were a Happiny and a Bonsly.

"It's Mime Jr.!" exclaimed Alyssandra to Niya, "And it seems to be playing with those wild Pokémon."

"That makes sense," said Niya with understanding, "It met these other baby Pokémon in the forest nearby camp while we camped here, and it must've kept running off because it wanted to play with them. In fact, doesn't your Mime Jr. know Rain Dance as well?"

"Yeah, he—" Alyssandra paused midsentence and smiled, "Well, he's certainly resourceful, I'll give him that."

"So, what are you going to do?" asked Niya, "Take him away from his friends?"

Alyssandra shook her head, and slowly walked over to where her Pokémon was playing with the other wild ones, the knelt and smiled at him.

"Mime Jr." said Alyssandra slowly, causing all the Pokémon to look over at her.

Mime Jr. slowly walked over to Alyssandra as she called it, looking as if it was a child that had just gotten in trouble.

"Did you cause the rain these past few days?" asked Alyssandra calmly.

Mime Jr. nodded shamefully, feeling as if it was getting lectured.

"And you did it to play with your friends here, huh?" asked Alyssandra.

Mime Jr. nodded again.

"But that's only because you feel so lonely with all the other big Pokémon around the camp, isn't it?" asked Alyssandra, "You relate better with these baby Pokémon, don't you?"

Mime Jr. nodded happily, forgetting that it was in trouble, and happy that he had made some friends. Smiling, Alyssandra came up with the perfect solution.

"So how would you like your friends to come join us?" asked Alyssandra, "If they agree to let me catch them, I'll send you over to Professor Rowan's Laboratory, and you can stay there and play while he studies you guys. Then when he's done, you can go play in the wide-open fields of Sam's family ranch—and there will be so much more Pokémon there too!"

Mime Jr. cheered, jumping up and down happily as he heard Alyssandra's offer.

"Can you go ask Bonsly and Happiny if they're okay with this?"

Mime Jr. nodded, and walked over to his friends.

"Mime! Mime-Mime-Mime! Mime, Mime! Mime!" said Mime Jr. happily to his friends.

"Bons-Bonsly!" cried the Bonsly, which was followed by a happy, "Happ-I-ny!" from Happiny.

Alyssandra smiled and gave a small chuckle. "Then it's settled," she said, "Go, Poké Balls!"

Alyssandra sent to Poké Balls at Bonsly and Happiny, and the Poké Balls absorbed the two Pokémon instantly. The two capsules barely shook before the light in the centre lit up, signifying that the Pokémon had been caught.

"Mime, Mime!" cried Mime Jr. happily.

"All right now, Mime Jr.," said Alyssandra, "I'm going to return you to your Poké Ball, then I'm going to transfer you to Professor Rowan's PC. Professor Rowan will let you out as soon as he removes you from the PC, and then you can play with your friends."

Mime Jr. nodded, and Alyssandra recalled him to his Poké Ball. She then placed all three of her the Poké Balls on the ground, then scanning them each with her Pokétch PC app, which caused them to be teleported away into thin air, where they would be transferred to the PC System.

"That was a nice thing you did for Mime. Jr.," said Niya, "I know how much you wanted to use it in your next Contest, but you let it go from your main team, so it could be happy."

Alyssandra smiled. "Well, I know what it's like to want to do something despite having other people pushing their hopes and dreams on you," said Alyssandra, "The least I could do was ensure I wised up to Mime Jr.'s feelings before it got too late."

Niya nodded, not delving deeper into the meaning of Alyssandra's words, and the two walked back to camp, content at what had just happened, and ready to move on to the next town for Sam's Gym Battle.


	15. 13 - Oreburgh Gate An Old Teacher

~ Chapter 13 ~

Oreburgh Gate; An Old Teacher

" _The greatest moment in a student's life is when they can one day face their mentors and their teachers and be proud that they have something to show for all the years of learning. And for a teacher, their greatest moment is when they can be proud at what they have groomed their students to do and become. Even though I am not there in person, I see myself as your mentor through the knowledge I have left you in these memoirs I have kept through all of these years—and I can only hope you feel the same way in return—and I know that because of this, one day, when you and I finally come face to face in battle, it will be just as described above, a meeting between student and teacher, where both of us can be proud of you, and what you have accomplished."_

Sam and the others piled their stuff by the front door of the Pokémon Centre; then turned back towards the far wall.

"What should we do first?" asked Sam, "Call home or eat?"

"I vote call," said Jeremy, "We haven't called in a while, and I'm sure our families will want to hear from us."

Everyone walked towards the videophones, gathering around the camera as Sam punched in the number.

"I'm going to call my grandmother first," said Sam, "I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all," said Jeremy, "Our families live next door to each other, if anything, you grandmother can invite my parents over."

"Hey, why don't you ever call your parents, Lyss?" asked Sam, "Don't they ever want to hear from you?"

Alyssandra shrugged. "They were on vacation last time," she explained, "And now they've been invited to Valentina's villa at the Lake Valor Resort. It was awarded to her when she became Champion. All Champions get villas—well, the ones that take the job anyway."

"You sound impressed," laughed Niya, "Aren't you proud for your sister?"

Sam suddenly hushed the conversation, as the phone stopped ringing and it was picked up on the other end, but not by Sam's grandmother. Instead, the group came face to face with a smiling Professor Rowan.

"Oh, hello children!" he said cheerily, "And it looks like you have a new friend travelling with you."

"Hello, Professor, I'm Niya," smiled Niya, "Niya Konstantinova. I'm an old friend of Sam, Jeremy, and Lyss's, we grew up together in Twinleaf."

"Oh yes!" exclaimed the professor, "I've heard about you before, you won the last Wallace Cup a few years back, right? And the Sinnoh Grand Festival before that I believe."

Niya nodded. "Yes, that's me," she said, "And I've heard a lot about you too, Professor. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

Sam interjected into the conversation, wondering where his grandmother was, and why the professor was at his house.

"Professor," started Sam, "Could I ask where my grandmother is?"

"Oh, she's just out in the garden with Jeremy's mother," began the professor, "You see, she's been coming over every day to help her out with the daily chores, and I've been visiting once a week, just like I promised."

"Oh, well thank you very much," said Sam with a wide smile, "I appreciate it."

"Anything for Aurelio's family," nodded Professor Rowan, "I owed him anyway—several unpaid debts. Lost bests and the like."

Sam laughed, his grandfather always was a good gambler when it came to betting, and he seldom ever lost.

"Actually, it's just perfect that I've run into you all," explained the Professor, "When you all received your Pokémon, I meant to give you a Pokédex, but I was out at the time. So unfortunately, I had no more to give. However, I just received a new shipment of the latest model from Professor Oak in Kanto, and I'd like to send them over to you all, if that's all right."

"That'd be perfect," smiled Sam, "Thank you very much! We don't have a transfer system at my house though, so you'll have to go to the Pokémon Centre in Twinleaf."

Professor Rowan nodded. "Very well," he said, "I shall send them over to the Pokémon Centre you're at later; so, try not to go anywhere yet; you're just outside Oreburgh Gate I believe?"

Sam nodded, and the Professor looked down and wrote something on a notepad, then returned his attention to the call.

"Are there any Pokémon that you would like to transfer over to me for study?" asked the Professor.

Sam nodded. "Yes, I have a Chimchar, a Turtwig and a Croagunk," he explained, "The Chimchar came from…well a not so good Trainer, and I've been keeping it with me to try and get it to trust humans again, same with the Croagunk. The Turtwig I caught the other day because—well I'm a Trainer, I catch Pokémon, that's what I do."

Professor Rowan chuckled. "Very well," he said, "And the rest of you?"

"I have a Piplup, but I deposited that in the PC already, I'm sure you've seen it," said Jeremy.

"That I have," said Professor Rowan, "How about you Alyssandra?"

"I have a Mime Jr., a Bonsly, and a Happiny," she said.

"My, my," said the professor in surprise, "How ever did you come across such rare Pokémon as those? It's not often you find wild Mime Jr., Bonsly and Happiny."

"It's a long story," smiled Alyssandra, "When we meet next, I'll tell it to you."

Professor Rowan nodded. "I look forward to it," he said, "I have certainly made a good choice in trusting you with Pokémon and Pokédexes as well! Oh, look, I believe your grandmother, Sam, and your mother, Jeremy, have just returned from the garden. One moment I'll call them over."

There was a pause, and Professor Rowan disappeared from the screen, and was soon replaced by Jeremy's mother and Sam's grandmother, who smiled widely as they saw their son and grandson stand before them.

"Oh, look at you!" cried Jeremy's mother, "You all look like such professionals! It won't be long before Sam is Sinnoh Champion, and Alyssandra is a Top Coordinator and—oh, goodness! Niya, is that you? So good to see you again, dear!"

"Hello," smiled Niya, "It's been a while I know."

Sam's grandmother remained mostly silent, just staring proudly at her grandson. "Your grandfather would be proud," she said as she adjusted her glasses, "He would have been so happy to see you become a Pokémon Trainer, and challenge the Sinnoh League like he did. Have the rest of the family called you yet?"

Sam shook his head. "Not yet," he said, "But I've been on the move a lot, it only makes sense. I'll stop by the ranch during my travels, it's near Cycling Road, so I'm sure I'll pass by them sometime soon."

"That's good," smiled his grandmother, "I'm sure they all want to see you, and they mentioned to me that they had something for you. Your uncle wouldn't say what though."

"I'll find out when I get there," said Sam, "So how is life at home?"

"Oh, it's normal as always," smiled his grandmother, "And Jeremy's mother is here helping me, so it's just as easy as when you were here. How is life on the road? I haven't heard from you since you reached Jubilife City."

"Well, you're never going to believe half the things that have happened to us," laughed Sam, "Well, we got to Jubilife, and Jeremy won the Piplup which he transferred over to Professor Rowan. Then we had a run in with some members of Team Galactic, that's how I got—well I should say rescued—my Croagunk, and we had to rush to the Contest Hall to see Alyssandra's Contest, and we almost didn't make it on time—but we did, and she won! Then the day after we got held off from leaving, because Team Galactic infiltrated the Pokétch Company building and used the company's Pokétch PC application to steal people's Pokémon right out of their PCs. So, Looker—he's an International Police Officer—and Officer Jenny, asked for our help, so we entered the building, and fought off Team Galactic and we finally managed to beat them and stop their evil plot and return everyone's Pokémon."

"We even got special medals from Looker for dealing with Team Galactic—"

"Wait, did you say Team Galactic?" interrupted Professor Rowan with a look of fear.

Sam nodded. "Yeah, Team Galactic," he said, "They're—"

"They're an organization bent on stealing people's Pokémon, and using them for their own wicked designs," explained Professor Rowan.

"Yeah, we know that, Officer Jenny told us," said Sam, "They weren't that hard to beat though—really soft if you ask me."

"Listen to me, Sam, and all of you as well," said Professor Rowan seriously, "They may seem harmless, but all you fought are the grunts, the lowly level members—believe me, the higher ups can do a lot more damage than them, and they're a lot more ruthless. I've seen what Team Galactic can do first hand—they once stole an entire mess of Pokémon being shipped over with people on a cruise ship, and then they left the cruise ship to stay adrift for weeks, no one knew where they were because Team Galactic's leader had the ship dragged to a previously uncharted area of the ocean because of how dangerous it was for navigational instruments."

"Are you sure we're talking about the same Team Galactic?" asked Sam, "Weird clothes, even weirder haircuts?"

"Yes! People died out there, Sam! Hundreds of people! And anyone who lived to tell the tale was too scared to want to remember what happened!" said the Professor seriously, "They are dangerous, and sure, they may just seem like harmless criminals now, but who knows what they're after for real; they have an ulterior motive!"

"But Professor—" protested Alyssandra.

"Promise me!" said the professor, "They're dangerous, and you can't go chasing after them again. You all have too much ahead of you; you have futures and dreams to realize. They will not hesitate to kill you if you meddle in their plans too much, just please don't get involved anymore, all right?"

"We promise," said Sam, "We know you wouldn't be telling us not to if you didn't have a good reason, so we'll listen."

"Good," said the professor as he calmed down, "Now, I must be off to the Pokémon Centre, and I'm sure you three would like to get to breakfast, so I will be going. You will find your Pokédexes with Nurse Joy upon leaving the Pokémon Centre."

Sam nodded. "Thanks, Professor," he said, and with that, the professor put on his bowler hat and overcoat, and exited the door, briefcase in hand.

"Professor Rowan is right," said Jeremy's mother, "They're dangerous; you need to stay safe, even if it means not playing hero, all right?"

Jeremy nodded. "Yes, mother," he said, "We're going to go to breakfast now, all right?"

"All right," nodded Mrs. De Oliveira, "I'll speak to you all once you reach Oreburgh City, all right?"

Everyone nodded. "And don't forget that if you need anything just let us know," said Sam's grandmother, "And we'll be rooting for you."

Everyone nodded once more, and with one last goodbye, hung up the videophone.

The group began to walk towards the dining hall for breakfast, and Niya was the first to break the silence.

"Well that was certainly a damper to our hero parade," said Niya, "I knew he had a temper, and I understand why they want us to be safe, but he could have let us enjoy our moment of glory a bit longer."

"They make a good point though," said Alyssandra, "That story he told us about the ship? That was just horrible! I'd never want something like that to happen to us, we need to stay out of Team Galactic's business, he's right."

"You don't really think they'd do that to us, do you?" asked Sam, "Come on, we can take them! They're just a bunch of loud-mouthed punks."

"Who's the loud-mouth again?" teased Niya, to which Sam replied with a simple shrug.

"I wonder what Professor Rowan meant when he said he's seen first-hand what Team Galactic could do," thought Jeremy aloud, "Do you think he was on that cruise ship too?"

"Nah," said Sam, "If he was he wouldn't talk about it—besides there would have been something about it in the news; if someone as famous as him goes missing. Plus, it's like he said, everyone who survived has been too traumatized to speak about it."

"Well, then what do _you_ think he means, know it all?" asked Niya.

"Do you suppose he used to be one of them?" asked Jeremy, "He _did_ leave Sinnoh for a long time, and he just recently comes back at the same time Team Galactic shows up."

"He was in Kanto, studying with Professor Oak," said Sam, "Everyone knows that."

"But what if he wasn't?" asked Jeremy with a crooked smile.

"How could you say that about Professor Rowan?" asked Alyssandra in shock, "He's been so nice to us!"

"Sorry…" said Jeremy with a slight hint of shame.

"Well whatever it is, I know one thing—" Sam paused midsentence, and even stopped walking as he looked up at the table next to where he was planning to sit.

"What?" asked Jeremy, then stopped and grew a look of shock that matched Sam's.

"It can't be," said Alyssandra, stopping as well.

"Not here," said Niya in amazement.

"Well, there's only one way to find out, isn't there?" asked Sam with a slight smile, "Come on!"

Sam walked briskly over to the table he was looking at and looked down at the man sitting there. He had rectangular glasses that sat on the edge of a crooked nose, and long red hair that was tied back into a thick, ponytail. His face looked aged, and several lines decorated his forehead. Beside him stay a long trench coat with fur trimmings.

"Professor Alexios?" asked Sam hopefully as he looked down at the man.

"Hmm?" asked the man as he looked up.

Suddenly, the man paused, and smiled as he saw the group standing there. "Sam Accardi…" he said softly, "And Alyssandra De Rossi, Jeremy De Oliveira Malhotra and Niya Konstantinova! My goodness, all of my former students, my how you've grown!"

"I knew it was you!" said Sam as he and the others shuffled into the booth.

"How are you professor?" asked Alyssandra, "We haven't seen you since Pokémon Trainer's School, when we were kids."

"We would've come back to visit, but you closed the school down shortly after we graduated," said Jeremy, "It's a shame, we've missed you."

"Well, that's sweet of you," said the old professor, "You know, I was just thinking about all of you too! I was wondering what you were all doing nowadays. So, what brings you guys here?"

"We've finally decided to start a Pokémon Journey together," explained Alyssandra.

"That's excellent," said Alexios, "I trust all of my teachings have come in handy?"

Everyone nodded. "Oh yes," said Niya, "I just signed onto this crazy train, but I recognize a lot of old techniques you've taught them in their battles, I even use some of them when I battle myself."

"Perfect," said Alexios, clearing papers off of the table and shoving them quickly into his briefcase "I'm glad my teaching came in handy."

"So, what have you been doing, Professor Alexios?" asked Sam, "If we remember correctly you closed down the school and moved because someone offered you a job as a researcher, how'd that go?"

"Wonderful!" said Alexios as he adjusted his glasses, "It's just been amazing! My organization gives me all the funding I need, and I study whatever they give me—the deadlines are a bit stiff, but that's just part of the territory I suppose."

"So, what are you researching now?" asked Jeremy, "Was it in those papers you had before?"

Alexios chuckled and scratched his chin. "Well, yes it was actually," he said, "Boy, you're observant as ever, Jeremy. But yes, we are studying into the Sinnoh Creation myths—in fact, the World Creation myths."

"What about them?" asked Niya, "I thought they were just stories?"

"Oh, far from!" said Alexios in amazement, "You see, we've found evidence that a Pokémon, which we call Arceus, was the first Pokémon in existence. It created the universe and all of the creatures and things in it, and then it created a Pokémon of Space, and a Pokémon of Time, and a Pokémon of Dimensions, to help it complete the world. It also created three Pokémon—I'm sure you've heard of the Guardians of the Lakes—that govern emotions and placed them inside of the caves in the lakes."

"I know that story," said Sam, "My grandmother used to tell it to me when I was a kid. What have you found so far?"

"Well, we've found evidence for all of these Pokémon," said Alexios, "Usually from foot prints, or several carved stones that show their names, or describe them and their powers, and some pictures carved into stone ruins across the Pokémon World. And from what we can tell, there are objects that can be used to control these Pokémon—but as for their locations, of the items and the Pokémon, and even if these Pokémon are still alive, is still mostly unknown, but we're piecing everything back together slowly."

"Wow," exclaimed Alyssandra with surprise, "If you find these Pokémon and everything else out about them, you'll be famous! Can you imagine the breakthroughs you'll make in Pokémon Science!"

Alexios chuckled and started to shuffle out of the booth. "Oh yes," he said, "Researchers and professors everywhere would seek _my_ advice on these 'Legendary Pokémon', I can't wait! I'm just sure we'll find something!"

"We wish you all the luck professor," said Jeremy, "We made you proud—we should hope anyway—and now we want to be proud of you."

"Well, that's very kind kids," he said, "I'm so happy to have taught you all of those years ago, but now I must go."

Alexios slipped his coat on, despite protests from his former students.

"You can't go so soon," complained Alyssandra, "We want to do more catching up! You've been gone for so long!"

Alexios chuckled as he adjusted his coat to a perfect position on his body. "I'm afraid my work is keeping me busy," he said, "But I'm heading into Oreburgh Mine and to the museum to do more studying on these ancient Pokémon, so we may very well see each other sometime soon."

"We're going to Oreburgh too!" said Sam, "If you're still there when we are, we'll drop by and we can talk more."

Alexios smiled one last time, once more readjusting his glasses. "Yes, I would like that very much," he said, "I would love to hear more of your stories and escapades. But until then, I must be off, good day!"

Alexios quickly turned on his heal and left the dining hall rather quickly.

"He was kind of jittery, wasn't he?" noted Niya, "He didn't seem right."

"That's probably just the stress," said Sam as he scanned the kitchen for a look at something that might look good for breakfast, "Do you see any good meals being brought out?"

Alyssandra shook her head, and then turned to Niya.

"I know what you mean Niya," she said, "He was jumpy for more than just because he was stressed, he was hiding something. You don't think he's in any kind of trouble or danger, do you?"

"Nah, he's a strong Trainer," said Jeremy, "He can handle himself. Now stop worrying, or you're going to ruin this whole trip for us!"

"Well, excuse me," said Alyssandra as she tilted up her head, "Thank you for the insult!"

Sam and Niya laughed as Jeremy grovelled to try and get her to forgive him—but they both knew it was only a joke on both of their parts, and neither was truly mad at the other.

"Well, whatever the reason is, it's not our business," said Sam as he set his sights on some bacon, eggs and toast, "Yes, I am definitely having some of that! Come on, let's get Nurse Joy, order and then we can get our Pokédexes and be on our way!"


	16. 14 - Tunnel of Terror

~ Chapter 14 ~

Tunnel of Terror

" _This Pokémon World of ours never ceases to amaze me. It always keeps you guessing as to what it has in store for you next. That constant amazement and wonder that it provides is part of the reason I explored as much of the world as I did. As I write this, they say that there are 649 known species of Pokémon—I don't believe it. I think—in fact I know—that this world of ours is large enough that there are thousands still to be discovered. I remember the time when we travelled through Oreburgh Gate, and came across two ancient Pokémon, whom people believed were extinct for years. Pokémon that can only be found today by resurrecting a fossil of their former selves."_

Sam, Niya, Alyssandra and Jeremy stood at the entrance of the cave, staring into the darkness of the two separate tunnels, flashlights in each of their hands. They had just entered the cave, and they had already reached a fork in the road.

"You know, it's not too late to turn back," suggested Alyssandra, "I'm sure there's another way around the mountain."

"Only if you want to climb it," said Jeremy, flashing the light between the two caves, "Or take a boat across the southern shores of Sinnoh, and then walk north to Oreburgh, but of course there's some foothills there."

"You know, I'm starting to get the feeling like you don't like caves," joked Sam.

"How did you notice?" asked Alyssandra sarcastically, "It's just—I'm a tad bit claustrophobic; caves irk me because of that."

"Well, unfortunately you heard Jeremy," said Niya, "There's no other way around—nothing that won't kill us or waste time anyway. Our only option is to push on forward."

Alyssandra groaned, not wanting to keep going, but knew that no matter how much she complained, she would need to.

"So how are we going to navigate this? Backtracking will take too long," said Sam, "But splitting up could be dangerous if there's a cave in or something."

"The way I see it, we take the lesser of two evils," suggested Jeremy, "If we split up, we can cover more ground. Even if something's goes wrong, there will always be another group ready to go to the rescue of the other."

Sam nodded. "Fair enough, who's going with who?"

"I'll go with Jeremy this time," said Niya instantly, "No offence, Sam, but I had my bonding time with you. Time to bond with Jerry over here."

"It's Jeremy," said Jeremy blankly, "You've known me since we were children, how do you _not_ know my name?"

Niya shrugged. "I like Jerry better," she said, "And that's what I'm calling you until we're out of here."

Sam laughed; Niya was as unapologetic and blunt as ever, but that was one of the qualities he admired about her, and that's also what made her a good teacher to him and Alyssandra. She was harsh and brutal when need be, while also being positively reinforcing just as often.

"In that case I guess I'm going with Sam," said Alyssandra, "And since I'm stuck with him, I'm picking first. I choose the left tunnel."

"What do you mean 'since I'm stuck with him?'" asked Sam, "Am I not good enough for you?"

"Aww," said Niya sarcastically, "Of course you aren't, whatever gave you that idea?"

Everyone laughed, but Sam simply shrugged. "What did I say about leaving you in a forest?" he asked jokingly as he and Alyssandra walked towards the left tunnel.

Niya stuck her tongue out quickly before disappearing behind the rock wall that separated the two tunnels, and before long everything went silent. The only sounds that echoed through the dark caverns of Oreburgh Gate was the occasional drip of water from the ceiling, and the footsteps of Sam and Alyssandra as they walked through the rock-strewn floor.

Every so often a Zubat or Golbat would fly by, causing Alyssandra to jump, which only enticed more Golbat and Zubat to flutter around, startled by the sudden noise, which in turn—once more—caused Alyssandra to jump. It was a horribly loud and long cycle that only made Sam wish he were with Niya, but at the same time, he cherished the time he spent with Alyssandra. They hadn't had their usual evening walks—which Jeremy would accompany them on sometimes—since they left Twinleaf Town, and as a result, none of the friends ever got a chance to just talk to each other anymore.

Suddenly, a loud crash and a clang, followed by the rumbling sound of collapsing rocks echoed through the caves.

"What was that?" asked Alyssandra with a hint of fear, "Do you think it's an angry Onix, or maybe a Steelix?"

Sam shook his head. "No, Onix don't live this far south down the Coronet Mountain Chain," he explained, "And Steelix prefer the Battle Zone Island—the mountains there are richer in iron ore and metals."

"So, then you tell me what it is," said Alyssandra standing behind Sam, a safe distance from the deeper area of the tunnel. The sound came again, a crash, a clang, and the rumble of a cave in.

"Maybe we walked in on a mine?" asked Sam, "Oreburgh does have a lot of them. This could be a shortcut from the Gate to the mine."

"Wouldn't there be human voices and the sound of a lot more machinery?" asked Alyssandra as the pair inched deeper down the tunnel; careful not to entice anything that was lurking in the darkness.

"Well, I don't know what it is then," said Sam.

"Why didn't you tell me that in the first place?" panicked Alyssandra.

"Because then you'd panic like you are now," replied Sam quickly in a hissed whisper.

Sam shushed Alyssandra and motioned for her to hide behind a nearby rock, the continued down the tunnel some ways. The sound had stopped—but no sooner had it stopped, when all of a sudden, a large explosion occurred from the wall to Sam's left.

Sam was knocked back against the opposite wall, earning himself a few scratches from the sharp rock walls and the debris that flew from the explosion, received when he raised his hands to protect himself from harm. Sam quickly stood up, hearing Alyssandra scream out his name in worry.

"I'm fine!" he shouted back, and then fell silent as he beheld something he'd never thought he'd see. It was a battle between two wild Pokémon, but it wasn't the Pokémon battle that surprised him, it was one of the Pokémon that was battling that made him rub his eyes in disbelief.

It was a wild Shieldon fighting a Bronzong.

"How?!" asked Sam, "How is this even possible?"

"What is it?" called Alyssandra from the nearby darkness.

"It's…it's a Shieldon!" replied Sam, "It's wild, and it's fighting a Bronzong."

"A Shieldon?" asked Alyssandra, "Are you sure you're seeing it right? Those Pokémon became extinct thousands of years ago. The only way to get one now is by reviving a fossil—which takes money, and of course a fossil to revive."

Sam nodded. "Positive!" he cried, "It's a Shieldon—" another clang, boom, rumble, crash "—and it is most definitely wild. I just don't know how or why."

Sam ducked as the Bronzong was thrown against the wall right behind where Sam had just been standing, then came back attacking with a Psycho Ball.

"I'm going to try and catch them," called Sam as he pulled out two Poké Balls from his belt.

"Catch them?" called Alyssandra.

"Yeah, the Bronzong and the Shieldon," called Sam.

"Are you mad? Those things can kill you!" cried Alyssandra worriedly, "Do you know what you're doing?"

"No!" responded Sam, "But this Shieldon is a rare sighting, and I want answers. I need to show it to Professor Rowan, or someone who knows about these Pokémon."

"All right, I understand the Shieldon, but why the Bronzong?" asked Alyssandra.

"It's strong, I'm a Trainer, do I need to say more?" said Sam sarcastically.

There was no response from Alyssandra, and Sam saw this as the go ahead to start the battle. Sam sent out his Prinplup but didn't call on his second Pokémon. He was going to use Luxio, as Staravia wouldn't have the room it needed to move or fly that it would need inside of these caves.

But something dawned on Sam; the move that Luxio had been practicing, that would be most advantageous against these two Pokémon, and in his upcoming Gym battle, wasn't ready—and Sam was even starting to doubt if they would be ready for when he battled Roark.

"You'll be battling alone, Prinplup," called Sam as he placed Luxio's Poké Ball back, "I'm sorry! But Luxio and Staravia aren't fit for cave battles."

Prinplup only nodded. "Prinplup!" it called, determined to battle and win.

Sam loved that about his Prinplup; it was determined, and willing to do and go through anything to win, a lot like Sam.

"All right, let's start off by using Bubble Beam against Shieldon for a double super effect!" commanded Sam, "Then charge at Bronzong with a Metal Claw! Try to weaken it, even if it's not super effective!"

Prinplup nodded and fired several bubbles towards Shieldon—who was still fighting Bronzong viciously—then dashed towards the Bronzong with the tips of its fins glowing white. Shieldon took the hit, flying back against the far wall, while Bronzong turned towards Prinplup in time, and retaliated with another Psycho Ball.

"Block it!" cried Sam, and Prinplup—without having to move much—stopped charging and raised its hands against its body, keeping them close, and allowing the Psycho Ball to hit its glowing fins.

Prinplup tried to hold its ground as the force of the attack was stopped like a car against a brick wall but was pushed back a bit by the sheer force of the Psycho Ball.

Sam gritted his teeth, knowing that unless he could distract Bronzong with something other than another Pokémon, he was only going to be able to catch one of the Pokémon. Shieldon took Sam's moment of vulnerability to strike and charged head first towards Prinplup.

Sam reacted quickly. "Prinplup try a Bubble Beam on Bronzong," he called, "But jump up and avoid Shieldon while you do."

Sam's manoeuvre worked, and Bronzong took the hit, while Shieldon's hit missed. Shieldon skidded to a halt beneath the jumping Prinplup, and Sam wanted to take advantage of this moment.

"Prinplup, use Peck on Shieldon!" cried Sam, "Come down in a swan dive and spin!"

Sam placed his trust on the same manoeuvre that saved Sam and Prinplup back during the battle against Alyssandra and Jeremy, back when Prinplup was still a Piplup.

Prinplup's attack struck head on, causing major damage to Shieldon. The short space between the ceiling and the floor allowed Prinplup to drop fast, and the speed at which it dropped just added to the power, especially since it was heavier as a Prinplup than when it was a Piplup. Shieldon fell to the ground, but Bronzong began to charge at Prinplup as it landed, causing it to go flying back against the back wall.

"Prinplup!" called Sam, "Are you okay?"

Prinplup struggled, but managed to get back up, ready to fight back.

"Use Bubble Beam, Prinplup!" cried Sam, "Then follow it up with a Metal Claw! A barrage of them!"

Prinplup nodded, and shot bubbles towards Bronzong, hitting it straight on—but the Pokémon did not fly, and instead held its ground as the bubbles continued. Meanwhile, Prinplup cut ahead of the bubbles, and slashed away at Bronzong with its Metal Claw attack.

Prinplup kept using Metal Claw on his opponent, until Bronzong finally collapsed on the ground beside Shieldon; unconscious.

"Good job, Prinplup!" called Sam, "Now let's catch them!"

Sam threw two Poké Balls, each one hitting one of the two Pokémon. The two Poké Balls shook violently, with Shieldon's shaking more so than Bronzong's. Even after Bronzong's Poké Ball had beeped, and the centre turned red, signifying that it had been caught, Shieldon continued to fight back.

Sam was afraid he would have to battle it again—knowing full well that having to do that again would only end in a loss for Prinplup, who was tired from its fancy attack style and injured from being slammed against the cave wall.

Finally, Shieldon stopped resisting, and the Poké Ball revealed that the Pokémon had been caught.

"What's going on?" called Alyssandra, "Is it over?"

Sam nodded, "Yeah, it's safe," he replied, "You can come out now."

Alyssandra peeked out from behind the rock, and when she was content that nothing was going to jump out at her, walked over to Sam quickly.

"Congrats," she said as Sam placed the two Poké Balls in his bag, "I heard the battle from behind the rock. You really favour the jump-dodge and diving corkscrew Peck move huh?"

"It's saved Prinplup before during the battle against you and Jeremy," explained Sam as the two of them continued on down the tunnel, "I'll probably be using it until I become Champion."

"That's _if_ you can beat my sister," smiled Alyssandra, "Which I would love to see _someone_ do for once."

"That's right…she's the Champion," said Sam in realization, "Well, there's a first time for everything right? I'm sure I'll beat her next time I see her!"

Alyssandra smiled, inspired by Sam's fearless confidence.

The rest of the walk continued silently, and mostly uninterrupted. Ever since Sam caught the Bronzong and Shieldon the Zubat and Golbat sightings had become so infrequent that they were surprised every time they saw one.

Suddenly, light flooded into the tunnel, and Sam and Alyssandra found themselves in a large cavern, and at the other end of it the exit, as well as Jeremy and Niya who sat on a rock, as if waiting for them.

"When did you get here?" asked Sam as he and Alyssandra approached Jeremy and Niya.

"About twenty minutes ago," he smiled, "Turns out my way was shorter."

"Well, in all fairness I was held up by two Pokémon battling it out," said Sam, "A Shieldon and a Bronzong."

Jeremy looked over at Niya, and then back to Sam. "That's funny," said Jeremy, "Because we ran into a battling Rampardos and Bastiodon, I caught them as well—I assumed you caught them, and I'm probably right—" Sam laughed, and nodded, "—I wonder though, maybe my Bastiodon and your Shieldon are related. It could be they got separated when the Rampardos attacked—it looked as if the Bastiodon was distressed about something—and then the Bronzong attack the Shieldon."

"That's definitely a possibility," nodded Sam, "What's really shocking me though is what they're doing in here, and alive too. These Pokémon are supposed to have died out millions of years ago, and the only way you can get one today is from fossils."

"I know," said Jeremy, "We can ask Professor Rowan or the Oreburgh Museum for some answers. In fact, if Professor Alexios is still there after you battle Roark we could even ask him."

Sam nodded, "I intend to do all three," he explained, "Now come on, let's go! Oreburgh City is right through this entrance here!"

As Sam exited the cave, he couldn't help but feel the pressure and the excitement build up inside of him, knowing full well that in twenty-four hours, he would be battling against all odds for his first Pokémon League Badge ever, and he knew that it would not be a battle he would soon forget.


	17. 15 - Sam's First Gym Battle

~ Chapter 15 ~

Sam's First Gym Battle

" _The first Gym Battle a Trainer ever has is sacred to them—not to mention unique. It is a rite of passage for a Trainer, and no matter how many hundreds of other battles a Trainer may participate in in his lifetime, that first Gym Battle will always be a memory fresh in his mind. The first win, when you obtain a badge for the first time that comes just a bit after. Even to this day, 6 years after the fact, I still envision it as clearly as if the battle happened yesterday. My first battle was against the Gym Leader, Roark, in Oreburgh City. I had spent the entire trip from Jubilife to Oreburgh practicing and training. I knew I was going to win before I arrived."_

"How're you feeling?" asked Alyssandra as she filed into the booth for breakfast.

"Nervous," said Sam as he pushed his egg around the plate, "Very nervous. This battle could determine my entire performance for the rest of the Pokémon League."

"It may feel that way," said Niya as she bit into some bacon, "But that's actually not true. Sometimes you just have off days, other days you're on a roll. It's really just a matter of chance and how prepared you are. You'll do fine, and after training yesterday I think your secret weapons will work."

"You think so?" asked Sam.

Niya gave him a look. "You think I would tell you that if I didn't think so?" she asked rhetorically.

"Just remain calm," said Jeremy, "Remember what Niya said to Alyssandra before her first contest; a Pokémon can sense its Trainer's feelings, so if you're scared and uncertain, they will be too."

Sam nodded. "You're right," he said, "Let's hurry and eat then. I want to call home before I battle Roark—and I also want some answers from Professor Rowan about the ancient Pokémon we caught."

Everyone nodded, and ate the rest of their meal quickly, hoping to get answers quickly. Once they finished they rushed from the dining hall to the entrance hall, stopping at the videophones.

"Let's call Professor Rowan first," said Sam, "We'll get our answers, then we can call home and let them know we're here."

Sam dialled the number and waited as it rang. The videophone barely rang three times when Professor Rowan picked it up.

"Hello there, kids!" he smiled as he saw who was on the other line, "I'm glad you called, that must mean you're in Oreburgh City, am I right?"

Jeremy nodded. "Yeah," he replied, "Sam's about to challenge Roark to his first Gym Battle."

"Isn't that exciting," chuckled Professor Rowan, "I remember when I first battled the Oreburgh Gym Leader. It was many years ago though; your grandfather and I challenged him one after another. Your first Gym Battle is something you never forget. You must be nervous."

"I am," said Sam, "But I've been training and practicing hard since we left Jubilife, and I have a few secrets up my sleeve."

"That's good," smiled Professor Rowan, "It's always good to have a few tricks as a Trainer; personal ones too! It keeps your opponents on their toes. But you're a good Trainer, and I'm sure you'll win the battle and get the badge. So, is there something you wanted?"

"We wanted to know about ancient Pokémon," said Alyssandra.

"What do you want to know about them?" asked the professor.

"Are there any still alive?" asked Niya quickly.

Professor Rowan paused for a moment, and stared at Niya as if he misheard her, and only when he was certain he had heard her correctly.

"Of course not," laughed the professor, "Ancient Pokémon are just that, ancient. They died off millions of years ago, there isn't a single one left living—not unless you resurrect them from a fossil."

"Well, what if there are some still alive?" asked Jeremy, "Because Sam and I encountered some yesterday in Oreburgh Gate."

"You must be mistaken," scoffed Professor Rowan, "You must have been seeing things."

"We're pretty sure it was a Shieldon, Bastiodon and Rampardos we saw," said Jeremy defensively.

"Science has already proven these Pokémon to be extinct," said Professor Rowan, "And there's no way they could still be alive, and especially in such a tiny cave such as Oreburgh Gate."

"Well, science is wrong," said Sam, "Because we caught them too. They're here with us, as proof of what we saw. Here, let us show you."

Sam pulled out Shieldon's Poké Ball and released it into the entrance hall. He picked it up in his hands and held it up to the camera.

"See?" said Sam, "That's a Shieldon."

"Shieldon!" cried the Pokémon as it stared into the digital face of Professor Rowan.

"It can't be anything else," said Jeremy.

There was a long pause of silence, and Professor Rowan said nothing, too shocked to believe what he was seeing.

"This—this can't be," he said, "It's not possible."

"Well, clearly it is now," said Niya, "There's no other explanation."

"But perhaps they've escaped from another Trainer?" suggested Professor Rowan, "They could belong to someone else."

"No, I don't think so," said Sam, "Something like a feral Rampardos and a Bastiodon would be placed on the news, they can be dangerous after all. Not to mention loud. These Pokémon were only found because they got into fights with other native Pokémon of the cave, it's clear that they've been hiding for years, otherwise they wouldn't have been so good at it. How else do you explain no one else finding them before?"

"Besides, if they belonged to someone else we wouldn't have been able to catch them," added Jeremy, "The Poké Balls wouldn't have worked."

Professor Rowan scratched his beard and went into a deep pensive thought. "I don't know how this is possible…but I'd like to do some further research on these Pokémon if that's all right," said the professor.

Sam nodded. "That's why we caught them, Professor," smiled Sam, "We wanted some answers, and plus they looked kind of cool."

Professor Rowan smiled and watched as Sam and Jeremy placed their Poké Balls on the transporter and sent them off to him.

"They've been received," he said, and he showed them their Poké Balls, "I'll call you back later with the results, good luck again with your Gym Battle!"

The screen went black again, and the videophone shut itself off.

"Let's hope he can answer those questions for us," said Jeremy, "I'd love to know why these previously extinct Pokémon have suddenly returned, and how they've been hiding all of this time."

"Agreed," said Sam, "Now come, let's call home quickly and then we can get to the Gym Battle."

Sam dialled the number to his house, knowing that it was early enough in the morning that Jeremy's mother was still over at Sam's house, helping his grandmother with the gardening, and this would be the perfect time to call them.

After several rings—much longer than normal—Jeremy's mother picked up the phone, and smiled widely as she saw Sam, Niya, Alyssandra and Jeremy standing there on the other side.

"Hello!" she cried, "Nancy, come here, it's the kids!" Sam's grandmother soon ran onto the screen as well, smiling wide and happy to see the group.

"How are you all?" asked Jeremy's mother.

"Good," responded the group in unison.

"We're calling from Oreburgh City, mom," explained Jeremy, "We arrived last night, and we just wanted to call and tell you that we're okay, and that Sam's about to fight his first official Gym Battle."

"Oh, congratulations, Sam!" exclaimed Mrs. De Oliveira, "I'm so proud of you! How do you feel?"

"Nervous," replied Sam, "But I'm sure I'll do fine."

"Of course, you'll do fine," said Jeremy's mother, "You have Giovinazzo _and_ Accardi blood in you. You were born to battle."

"Thank you, Mrs. De Oliveira," smiled Sam.

"I'll be rooting for you every step of the way," added Sam's grandmother, "All of us here will be."

"Thanks, grandma," said Sam, "I'll try to do justice to grandpa's reputation as a Trainer—I'll do my best."

"I know you will," smiled Sam's grandmother softly, "You always do, my boy. Now, you should get to the Gym before someone else takes your battle from you, and good luck! I know you'll make us all proud!"

"I will, grandma," smiled Sam, "We'll call back after the battle, win or lose."

Once again, the screen went black, and Sam turned back to the rest of the group.

"Well, let's get going then, shall we?" said Alyssandra as she started to push Sam out the door, "You hear your grandmother, don't be late!"

"Why do I need to know about my mother?" asked Sam as the others got behind Alyssandra and continued to shove him out the door of the Pokémon Centre, "I have Alyssandra."

Sam stopped before the Gym's door. He knew that beyond the sliding glass frames stood his future, and his destiny, and if there was one thing his grandfather had taught him, was that you cannot avoid destiny.

"This is it," said Sam, "Time to do this."

His face turned from nervousness to determination, and he gritted his teeth, and entered the Oreburgh City Gym.

"I'm here to challenge the Gym Leader!" called out Sam as he entered the building.

There was a chuckle from across the room, and everyone looked to see where it came from. Standing at the other side of the ring stood Roark, as if waiting for Sam to arrive.

"I heard a new Trainer had come to town," he smiled, "I figured you'd be coming here; I've been waiting."

Roark's voice wasn't deep but wasn't high pitched. It was smooth, like a small creek running over smooth stones.

"So, do we start the fight now then?" asked Sam, trying to keep his cool and walked down the steps to the dirt battlefield, meanwhile, his friends walked into the stands, ready to cheer Sam on.

"If that's what you want," said Roark as he pulled a Poké Ball from his belt, then readjusted his glasses.

The man wore a hardhat inside, which was something Sam normally would've noted as odd, but from what he had read, Roark also worked in the Oreburgh Mine, so it made sense.

A judge walked out onto the field, standing to the left of the two Trainers.

"The fight between the Oreburgh Gym Leader Roark and Sam Accardi of Twinleaf Town is about to begin!" cried the judge raising his two flags to either side, "This will be a three on three Pokémon battle. Only the challenger will be able to make substitutions! Let the battle begin!"

Sam threw his Poké Ball, while Roark did the same.

"Go, Geodude!" cried Roark.

"Come on out, Luxio!" cried Sam in response.

The two Pokémon materialized on the field, and there was a pause as Roark scanned his opponent's Pokémon.

"A Luxio?" asked Roark confused, "You're using an Electric type at a Rock Type Gym? You're a greener Trainer than I thought."

Sam just smiled, but kept quiet, knowing very well that the more he led Roark on, the better his secret weapon would work.

"Geodude, use Tackle!" commanded Roark, and his Geodude shot towards Luxio, using its full weight.

"Dodge it Luxio!" called Sam, "To the left!"

Luxio did as commanded, and the Tackle was unsuccessful, but that didn't stop Roark, it only encouraged him.

"You can't keep running from me," he called, "Geodude, use Rock Throw on Luxio!"

Geodude began to strike the ground violently, causing rocks to shoot up into the air, which Geodude then shot towards Luxio. Luxio wasn't fast enough to dodge all of the projectiles this time, however, and took three hits, flying back and bouncing from the ground.

"Luxio!" called Sam, "Are you okay?"

"Luxiooo!" cried the Pokémon with determination, releasing a bit of an electric charge as it did.

"Geodude, finish this up with another Tackle!" cried Roark, "Use all of your weight in this one, we're going to knock Luxio down this time!"

"Luxio! Hold your position," called Sam, "Don't move at all! Just like we learned, remember? Don't do anything until the last second!"

Luxio nodded in understanding and planted itself firmly on the ground, ready to hold off its enemy if necessary.

Quickly, the Geodude began the charge, and it appeared as if the strike would land, but as Geodude neared Luxio, Luxio's tail began to glow white, and as the Geodude was about to strike, Luxio spun around and struck Geodude hard with its tail.

"All right, a perfect Iron Tail!" cheered Jeremy as he jumped from his seat, "Just like you taught him Niya!"

"An Iron Tail?!" exclaimed Roark in shock as its Geodude hit the ground unconscious.

"I'll admit, that Luxio's got some nerve," laughed Niya, "To take a beating like that, and even play the opponent up like it just did. Not a lot of Trainers or Pokémon have the guts to do that. I'm impressed."

"Go, Sam!" cheered Alyssandra from the stands, "Come on! You can win this!"

Jeremy joined in on the cheering, and Sam smiled at them before turning his attention back to Roark, who smiled at Sam happily and was clapping.

"I'm impressed," said Roark, "When you told your Pokémon to wait, and not move, I expected something, but I didn't expect an Iron Tail. Most Trainers don't come here with Pokémon that don't have a type advantage, and those who do don't normally come as prepared as you did. But, if you want to start the challenge, then so be it, try having a go with my Onix!"

Roark tossed another Poké Ball, this time releasing a large Onix onto the field. The Onix roared in a deep tone, shaking the building with its voice.

"Onix has power, and it's pretty large," said Sam, "I'm going to need speed and manoeuvrability, so I think it's time to make a switch out; Luxio, return!"

Sam recalled his Luxio, returning it to its Poké Ball with a smile. "I'm proud of you, Luxio," he said, "You did a good job, now rest, you deserve it. Time to go, Staravia!"

"Staravia!" cried Sam's Staravia as it popped from its Poké Ball and began to fly around the stadium.

Onix looked up at it, watching it, waiting for its Trainer's commands.

"It's smart to use a fast Pokémon against my Onix," applauded Roark, "But I'm not falling for the helpless act anymore. I'm not letting you get the upper hand again."

"We'll see about that," laughed Sam, "Staravia, use Wing Attack on Onix!" Staravia pulled into a mildly steep dive, rushing towards Onix at full speed, but Onix and Roark were too smart.

"Onix, use Screech!" commanded Roark quickly.

Onix released a powerful roar from its mouth, which shook the entire stadium and caused everyone to cover their ears in pain. Staravia fell from the sky, unable to keep flight, and Roark took advantage of that opportunity.

"Onix, slam Staravia into the ground with your tail, then dive underground with Dig!"

Sam watched helplessly as Staravia was slammed flat on the ground, hard, by Onix's heavy stone tail before Onix disappeared under the dirt of the field.

It was smart of Roark to take advantage of Staravia while it was in mid-flight, and then again in mid fall, now that it was underground it was impossible for anyone to see, it could be anywhere.

Sam thought frantically, hoping something would come to him, but something finally did.

"Staravia, are you okay?" he called, and thankfully, Staravia managed to get itself up—slowly—and responded with a flap of its wings. "Good, fly up into the air and circle around the field, just wait for Onix to surface before striking!"

"Staravia!" chirped the Pokémon bravely, following Sam's orders to a T.

After several minutes of waiting, Onix jumped from the ground, and lifted itself up to its full height, trying to strike at Staravia, but Sam was fast to respond.

"Staravia, use Steel Wing!" he cried, and as hoped, Staravia delivered, and struck Onix across the side with its Steel Wing, causing the Pokémon to recoil towards the ground slightly.

Staravia flew back in the air again, and Roark was the next to retaliate.

"Onix, use Head Smash!" he yelled.

Onix raised itself up again, and charged, head first, towards Staravia, but again, Staravia was too fast. Staravia, under Sam's command, used another Steel Wing, and this time spun around Onix in a helix pattern, slashing at the rock Pokémon's sides repeatedly, causing damage with each strike.

As Staravia finished the elaborate attack, Onix had collapsed on the ground, in pain, and unconscious; it was defeated.

"Sam's doing well," commented Niya, "The practice is paying off. If he beats Roark's last Pokémon, he wins the badge."

"He will," said Jeremy reassuringly.

"We'll see. Roark looks like he has a secret weapon as well," said Niya simply, the group's attention returning to the battle at hand.

Roark laughed again and recalled his Onix, "I told you I wasn't going to get caught by your surprises this time," he said, "And yet I did; I'm impressed. No one has gotten me that many times in a battle. You have a good sense of strategy, and it's clear that you've been preparing very hard, but it's not over yet! Go, Cranidos!"

Roark tossed his last Poké Ball and released a Cranidos onto the field.

Normally this would've shocked the group, but after yesterday with the ancient Pokémon incident, they were used to seeing them. Besides, as head of the mine and Oreburgh Gym Leader, it was no surprise that Roark had come across a fossil and revived it.

"In that case it's time to use my best Pokémon," smiled Sam, returning Staravia to its Poké Ball and thanking it. Sam pulled another Poké Ball from his belt, also his last, and then threw it as well.

"Go, Prinplup! Let's do this!" yelled Sam confidently.

"Prinplup!" roared Sam's Prinplup with a rush of energy.

There was a pause again, this time silent, and more like a standoff than anything. No one knew who was going to strike first, until Roark started the battle off.

"Cranidos, Headbutt, now!" he said quickly.

"Prinplup, dodge and use Bubble Beam!" responded Sam, almost as fast.

The commands were called like the draw of a gun; fast and precise.

Prinplup managed to dodge Cranidos's Headbutt, and went in for the Bubble Beam, which struck Cranidos in the back, and though the Pokémon took significant damage from it, it stood firm as if nothing had happened. Cranidos turned around, angered, and Roark called for its next attack.

"Cranidos, use Headbutt again!"

Sam couldn't call a response fast enough, and Prinplup was sent flying across the field by Cranidos's attack. Prinplup soon got up, even before Sam asked how it was doing, and prepared to keep fighting.

"Cranidos, strike again with Ancient Power, and then follow up with Take Down!" called Roark, "Strike Prinplup head on!"

Cranidos prepared a large ball of energy, and fired it at Prinplup, but Sam responded fast this time, using Prinplup's speed to dodge the Ancient Power and jump into the air.

Cranidos charged towards where Prinplup was, waiting for it to land, but Sam was smart, and avoided it.

"Prinplup, dive like a dart and spin, then use Peck on Cranidos!" cried Sam, calling for his favoured Prinplup manoeuvre.

Prinplup's attack struck Cranidos straight on the head, and both Pokémon were sent flying back. Cranidos from the added strength given to Peck by the dive and spin, and Prinplup because of the sheer toughness of Cranidos's thick and hard skull.

"You should know better than to attack a Cranidos's head," said Roark, "I'm surprised that worked though—but it won't last must longer. Both of our Pokémon our exhausted, this'll be over in a heartbeat."

"He's right," commented Niya, "Both Cranidos and Prinplup are exhausted, and they've both taken some heavy damage. The next strike will end it."

"Cranidos, Headbutt!" called Roark.

"Prinplup, use Metal Claw!" called Sam.

Cranidos charged at Prinplup, but Prinplup refused to move or attack as Sam commanded, causing Sam to worry that Prinplup had grown too much for a Trainer of his level to control.

"Prinplup, Metal Claw!" commanded Sam calmly, but again, Prinplup did nothing.

Cranidos finally reached Prinplup, but at the last second came a loud clang, and Cranidos was stopped dead in its tracks. Prinplup had used Metal Claw at the last second to stop Cranidos and avoid being hurt by its hard head.

Sam smiled, and took the opportunity to strike. He now understood what Prinplup was thinking, and he was going to act accordingly. "Prinplup, Bubble Beam!" he called.

The bubbles shot from Prinplup's mouth and caused Cranidos to go flying across the stadium, and skid across the floor until it stopped at Roark's feet.

There was a moment of silence, and suddenly Sam and the others erupted in cheering, laughter, and shouts of happiness. Sam had done it; he had won his first Gym Badge.

"I'm impressed," smiled Roark, "Your Pokémon didn't listen to you because it had a better plan, and yet you still won. It's just amazing how the minds of Pokémon work, huh? That was a very good battle."

Roark walked up to Sam and shook his hand firmly. "You certainly kept my Pokémon and I on our feet with all of your surprises," Roark said, complimenting Sam, "That Steel Wing and the Iron Tail, they were superbly done, and I know you'll go far in the Sinnoh League."

"Thank you," said Sam sincerely, "I'm glad you think so."

"And here," said Roark as he held his hand out to Sam, a brand-new Coal Badge, "Your very first Pokémon League Badge, congratulations!"


	18. 16 - Return to Jubilife

~ Chapter 16 ~

Return to Jubilife; Team Galactic Attacks

" _As I said before, never get involved with so called 'evil teams', or they will drag into all of their business until the end of time. We never did end up keeping that promise to Professor Rowan, at least not after they attacked him personally. If we hadn't broken our promises to him and our families, I'm not sure how different the world might be today—but I can say, there is a strong possibility there wouldn't be a world today. Perhaps a little bit of meddling isn't so bad after all then…"_

Sam paused outside of the entrance to Jubilife City and smiled.

He had loved the big city, ever since he had first arrived. It showed promise of a brand-new adventure, and unlike Twinleaf Town, every day was different, and something new always happened to him. Sam loved Twinleaf Town, sure, and the simple routine of life was enough to keep him contented, but there was nothing like the allure of a large city to keep Sam wanting to travel more.

"Tonight, we're staying in the Sinnoh National Hotel," explained Sam as they started to walk through the bustling streets, "I told you we'd be staying somewhere nice once and a while, and now we're celebrating."

"Celebrating what?" asked Alyssandra.

"My badge!" explained Sam with excitement, "The dinner that night, that wasn't the celebration, this is the celebration."

"Well so long as it's expensive and on you, I'm okay with it," said Niya with a smile, "I do need to relax anyway."

"I think we all do," joked Jeremy, "Team Galactic, ancient Pokémon, and all this travelling; I think we've earned it!"

"I agree," said Sam, "That's why I arranged this. We can spend a few days here just relaxing and enjoying life."

"How dare you, leave me alone!" cried a deeper, and familiar voice as the group rounded the corner.

Sam looked around and noticed that in the alley across the street stood Professor Rowan, and nearby were two Team Galactic grunts, trying to get his briefcase from him.

"Guys, look! It's Professor Rowan!" exclaimed Sam as he pointed to the professor, "He's in trouble, let's go help him!"

The group dashed across the street, pushing through people and crowds to try and get there on time. When they finally reached the alley, they dashed between Team Galactic and Professor Rowan.

"Leave him alone," said Sam, his hand on his Poké Balls, "Or we'll deal with you like we dealt with your accomplices at the Pokétch Company."

"You're the children who brought down our Jubilife operations?" asked one of the grunts.

"That's right," said Alyssandra, "And we'll screw this operation up too if you don't leave right now—and don't even think about fighting, we've beaten your kind before, and believe us, you're not that hard."

The two grunts looked at each other, then back at the group of teenagers who were defending Professor Rowan.

"Pull back," said one of the grunts, "It's not worth it—we'll take care of them later. But hear our words, children, don't mess in our affairs again!"

The grunts ran off down the alley, and the group turned their attention to Professor Rowan.

"We're sorry about not being able keep the promise we made you," said Alyssandra apologetically, "But we needed to stop them—"

"It's all right, Alyssandra," said Professor Rowan gently, "This was one of those times you're _allowed_ to get involved with these punks. You did the right thing."

"What were they trying to steal from you though?" asked Sam, "From what we could tell it had something to do with your briefcase."

"Here is not the place to talk," said Professor Rowan, "Let's go get a bite to eat and we can talk there."

The group followed Professor Rowan around the corner and down the street to a small coffee and pastry shop.

As they all sat down at a patio table, covered by an umbrella to keep away the midday sun, Professor Rowan ordered everyone a round of tea and some of the finest pastries.

Upon digging in to the food, Professor Rowan finally began to speak, finishing the first bites of a small lemon tart.

"I used to come here all the time when I was a boy," said Professor Rowan nostalgically, "I remember when my parents first brought me here during a summer vacation. I fell in love with their lemon tarts—I am very partial to them you know."

The Professor chuckled happily and continued. "I remember when I brought Aurelio here too. He immediately fell in love with the cheesecake. He did love his cheesecake."

Sam couldn't help but smile. He too loved cheesecake, something he had no doubt gotten from his grandfather. In fact, if Sam could eat one thing for the rest of his life it would probably be cheesecake…or maybe meat—he did love his meat.

"Anyway," said the Professor as he returned to the present, "You wish to know what it was Team Galactic was trying to steal from me yes?"

Everyone nodded, and Professor Rowan continued. "They heard about my research I've been doing on your ancient Pokémon that you caught in the Oreburgh Gate. I have no idea how, though. I haven't told a soul."

"Why? What did you find?" asked Niya, "You hadn't figured it out yet when we spoke to you last."

"Well, I ran some tests on the Pokémon, and studied their behaviour, and it's just as you said," explained the professor, "These Pokémon were born and raised in the wild, and Jeremy's Bastiodon is at least a quarter century old. That means they descend from wild Pokémon of their species, because fossil revival was only made available in the past five years."

"So, you're saying that there are more of our Pokémon where they came from?" asked Jeremy.

Professor Rowan nodded. "They seem to be living in Mount Coronet, because the types of things your Pokémon liked to eat varied from plants found high in the mountains to varieties found in the foothills—so it's clear that they migrate around as needed. My estimate is that there are hundreds of them out there still alive."

"So, what does Team Galactic want with the research of yours?" asked Alyssandra.

"I believe they want these Pokémon for themselves," Rowan explained, "I've limited their possible locations to one of a few locations on the southern parts of Mount Coronet, and I've written all of my findings down on paper, which I keep here in my briefcase. I think they must've caught wind of my research—perhaps they were spying on me hoping to steal something else from me—and now they want it. Although, thanks to you guys, I'm sure they'll leave me alone…for now. They must have been keeping an eye on me already though, if they found out about my findings so fast. Meaning they probably want me for something else."

"I hope so," said Sam, "But just in case, you should leave Jubilife and go back to Sandgem for a little bit. Stay out of the bigger cities where Team Galactic would be."

"He can't go back there, Sam," said Alyssandra, "They'll want all of his research at his laboratory."

"Then he should move the laboratory," said Jeremy.

"But where is he going to move it to?" asked Niya, "It's not like the lab has legs—it doesn't move on its own."

"He can move in to my grandmother's house," said Sam, "I know what you're going to say—I'm being too generous, but you're a family friend and my grandfather's friend, and you're in danger."

"Sam, I—" started Professor Rowan, but Sam persisted.

"Move your important research and any equipment you need and can't let fall into Team Galactic's hands and bring it to my old home. Use the basement, and if you want you can use my bedroom. My grandmother should be fine with it, I'll call her later on—and bring Pascal with you, he needs to remain safe as well."

"Sam…I don't know what to say," said Professor Rowan softly, "You are so much like your grandfather, the way you're being so kind to an old man like me. It's like I'm sitting here talking to him again."

Professor Rowan smiled. "Very well. I'll do as you say, just make sure you've called your grandmother before you tell me to start the move. I'm going to need a few days to transport my research and important equipment—there's just one thing I require from you."

"What is that?" asked Sam and he made way for the waitress who brought them all a tray of complementary coffee.

"It's settled then," said Sam decisively. The matter was all but closed to him.

"Thank you, Sam," said Professor Rowan gratefully, "I owe you for this; all of it. You're protecting me, even if it could cause you trouble."

Sam simply smiled. "I've heard stories about my grandfather's travels and trouble isn't new to my family."

Professor Rowan laughed as well. "Yes, that's very true," he said returning to his normal self, "I'd best be off then—I'll call a Fearow as soon as possible, and then I can begin the move the second I return. Thank you again, Sam."

Sam nodded a "You're Welcome," and then shook Professor Rowan's hand before the old researcher disappeared off down the street.

"That was a nice thing you did," said Alyssandra with a smile as she sipped her tea, "You really helped out Professor Rowan."

"It's the least I could," said Sam, "After everything he's done for all of us. It was only time for us to start giving back. Now come on, it's time to start our relaxation time—the hotel's just down the street."


	19. 17 - En Route, Route 204

~ Chapter 17 ~

En Route, Route 204

" _Pokémon are such amazing creatures, and I know that I have said this before, but I truly mean it. Sometimes I wonder who the smarter beings are, Pokémon, or us humans, and I question who should be training whom. If I have learned something from my time with Pokémon, it's that Pokémon and Trainers train each other, and learn from each other. It is a partnership, with give and take, and a friendship with an unbreakable bond. Some Pokémon are drawn to their Trainers, and some Trainers are drawn to their Pokémon. In the case of Alyssandra and her Chingling, nothing could be so true—she was quite literally drawn to it."_

"All right, Pikachu!" cried Jeremy, "Use Thunder Shock on Skuntank! Turtwig, I want you to use Bite on Gliscor! Clamp down on its tail!"

"Pika-Pikachu!" shouted Pikachu as it dashed towards Skuntank.

Pikachu skidded to a halt, and released a shock of electricity on the Pokémon, "Pika-chuuuuuuuu!" cried Pikachu as the electricity shot towards the Skuntank.

The wild Skuntank recoiled with pain, and almost collapsed from the electric shock, but it managed to stay standing, and retaliated against Pikachu with a Slash, which sent Pikachu flying back across the grassy field where they battled.

Meanwhile, Turtwig ran at Gliscor, following the Pokémon as it hovered above the ground.

The flying Pokémon taunted Turtwig as it hovered up and down above the ground, trying to feint it into biting, which Turtwig would always miss.

Finally, Turtwig decided to stand still, and as the Gliscor came in for a Poison Tail, Turtwig dodged the attack and bit down on the Pokémon's tail. Gliscor howled in pain.

"Gliscor!" it cried, trying to fly away from Turtwig, shaking its tail violently in order to release Turtwig's clamping grip.

Turtwig refused to let go however, and the Gliscor was not able fly with the added weight, with Turtwig using itself as an anchor to hold itself and Gliscor to the ground.

"Pikachu use Quick Attack on Skuntank!" shouted Jeremy, "Turtwig, I want you to swing Gliscor around wildly, and slam it hard into the ground, understand?"

"Turtwig!" said Jeremy's Turtwig through a mouthful of Gliscor tail.

Gliscor was spun around in circle as if it was caught in a tornado or a whirlpool. This caused the Gliscor to get disoriented and stopped it from struggling against Turtwig's grasp. Then, Turtwig slammed Gliscor hard into the ground, kicking up dirt as it made impact.

Gliscor fell unconscious, and Turtwig was the victor in that match.

Meanwhile, Pikachu was dashing towards Skuntank, jumping left right and centre as to not be predictable in its attack angle, but the Skuntank was not fooled. It spun around and hit Pikachu square in the stomach with its tail.

Jeremy smiled. "Pikachu hang on to Skuntank's tail and release your strongest Thunder Shock!" he commanded.

Pikachu nodded, and with another loud cry, released a strong blast of electricity through its body into Skuntank's; the Skuntank let out a pained cry, and fell to the ground unconscious as the attack ended.

Jeremy was quick with his reaction, and sent two Poké Balls flying through the air, one aimed for Skuntank and the other for Gliscor.

The Poké Balls soon ensnared their targets and began to rock violently as the Pokémon inside were trying to escape and return to the wild. Once, twice, three times, a fourth—the balls kept shaking, until finally, in unison, the lights in the middle lit up and the Pokémon were officially caught.

"All right!" Cheered Jeremy, his Turtwig and Pikachu joining him in his celebrations, "I caught new Pokémon! Professor Rowan's going to enjoy studying these two!"

"Congrats!" said Sam as he ran up to Jeremy and patted him on the back, "You kicked butt out there."

"Thanks," he said with a smile, "I figured I needed to start catching up with you and your Pokémon. It was time my Pokémon started to get some serious training in—and it didn't hurt that I got to catch two Pokémon as well."

"Well, before you know it you're Pokémon are going to start evolving," said Sam, "And then you and I can battle again."

"Yeah, I know I can't—"

All of a sudden, Alyssandra shouted out, cutting Jeremy off with, "Guys, look!"

Everyone turned around, and was surprised to see Turtwig, and it was starting to glow white. Then, the glowing Turtwig began to morph and shift and grow, and the light suddenly broke with a bright flash, and in Turtwig's place stood a proud Grotle.

"Turtwig evolved!" exclaimed Jeremy, "I did _not_ see that coming."

Sam laughed. "Well, I guess we'll be having that battle sooner than expected," he said, "Now that you're Pokémon are back on my level."

"I'm looking forward to it," said Jeremy, "I'll kick your butt this time."

"We'll see," said Sam, "Come on, grab your new Pokémon and let's head back to camp. Niya's been waiting all morning for us, time to relieve her of guard duty. You can transfer the Pokémon to your PC back at the camp."

Jeremy nodded and ran over to the two Poké Balls that lay in the grass. He smiled at them as he picked them up, remembering the battle that just happened as if it was still occurring, and then ran back over to Sam and Alyssandra, and the three of them walked back towards the direction of their camp.

After twenty minutes of retracing the trail they took to find Gliscor and Skuntank, the group returned to their camp, which lay out in an open field beside a small river.

Niya was sitting in the camp, tossing a small ball around with her Pokémon, which she had released from her Poké Balls.

"Hey," said Sam as he re-entered the camp, "Getting bored, are we?"

"Well that depends, how long have you been back?" asked Niya with a sly smile on her face.

Sam shrugged, and turned back to face Jeremy. "So, are you cooking today?" he asked.

Jeremy smiled. "You want some of my family's famous chicken, don't you?"

"Of course! That's the only thing you can cook, but it just happens to be our favourite," joked Sam.

Jeremy sighed. "You're lucky I bought some chicken just before we left Jubilife," said Jeremy, "I had it air sealed and packed in Never-Melt Ice. You set up the tent and I'll get the fire pit set up, so we can smoke the chicken."

"All right!" said Sam as if winning a great victory, "Lyss, come help me with the tent!"

There was no reply, as Sam started to pick up the tent, to which Sam called again,

"Lyss!" he called, "Lyss?"

Sam stood up, and looked around, noticing that Alyssandra was nowhere to be seen.

"Where'd she go?" he wondered aloud, "Niya, did you see her?"

Niya looked up from returning her Pokémon to her Poké Balls. "No clue," she shrugged, "She was just here a minute ago. Maybe she went to get some sleep? She's been looking rather tired lately—staying up for hours at night trying to practice her Contest routines. Her next Contest is in Floaroma, and we'll be there in a few days after all."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right," said Sam, "Want to help me with this tent?"

Niya nodded and began to help Sam unpack and unravel the tent.

Sam sat on the banks of the river, his feet dipped into the river from the knees down. He lay on his back as his feet were surrounded by the lightly torrential waters and stared high up at the sky and the clouds above. Niya lay beside him, and the two of them guessed at the shapes of the clouds.

"That one has to be a Pichu," said Niya pointing to a cloud on the left, "It's got the pointy ears and everything."

"No way," said Sam, "Anyone can tell it's a Rattata! It has the long tail and everything!"

"Just like that last one was a Chansey?" asked Niya sceptically.

Sam rolled his eyes, "That's a better guess than a Voltorb," he added defensively.

"Hey guys, quit your fighting and come eat!" called Jeremy, "The food's ready!"

Sam and Niya instantly shot up and rolled down their pant legs, then dashed towards camp with their shoes in hand. They sat themselves down beside the now doused campfire that they would light up later tonight and waited for Jeremy to bring out the pot of chicken and rice from the tent that was now billowing smoke.

Jeremy walked from the tent and looked at Sam and Niya. "Call Lyss," he said, "The chicken needs a few more minutes than I thought, but we may as well wake her up now."

Niya stood up and walked towards the girls' tent. "I'll do it," she said with a small chuckle, "Waking her up from her naps is not something done lightly—better to let me handle it."

Niya walked over to the tent, and then knocked on the tent's tarp wall. "Time to get up Lyss," she said, "We're getting ready to eat."

There was no reply, and Niya waited a few minutes before trying again.

"Lyss? Do you hear me?" asked Niya, "We got to eat, and you need to get up." Still no answer, this time Niya unzipped the tent door, but gasped as she saw the tent was empty.

"Guys come quick," said Niya with haste.

Sam and Jeremy instantly came running, and their jaws dropped as well as they saw what Niya saw.

"The tent is empty," exclaimed Jeremy, "How is that possible?"

"I don't know, but you know what that means don't you?" asked Sam as he looked around the areas surrounding the camp, "It means she was never in there."

"How can you tell that?" asked Jeremy, "She might've just gone for a walk or something. I've been busy in the cooking tent and you guys were down by the river with your clouds. We must not have noticed her."

"No, Jeremy, Sam's right," said Niya pointing into the tent, "Look, the bedroll hasn't been slept in since this morning. It's pushed into the corner—that's where she left it when she woke up."

"So where do you think she's gone?" asked Jeremy, "We got back to camp almost an hour and a half ago. She could be anywhere!"

"Why would she just up and leave us like that is the better question," said Sam as he walked back to the centre of camp, still scanning the surrounding grass fields.

"Do you think she was kidnapped?" asked Jeremy, "Team Galactic's still pretty mad about what we did to their plans—three times."

"No, we would've heard or seen a struggle," said Niya, "She could have gone off on a walk like Jeremy said, and maybe not have told us? She _has_ been rather tired lately and was probably too dazed with lack of sleep that she forgot to mention it."

"Well, whatever the reason is we need to find her," said Sam, "Jeremy, get your Staravia. I've got mine, we'll send them out to look."

Niya raised a hand to stop Sam from throwing his Poké Ball and looked at him.

"Don't," she said, "We need to find her fast, just in case she's in danger. Your Staravia—as good for tracking as it is—takes a longer time to find someone than a scent tracker."

"So, I'll use Luxio," said Sam.

Niya shook her head again, "We don't have time." Niya said swiftly, "My Glameow's had many more years of experience when it comes to tracking. Allow me, please."

Sam nodded, and placed his Poké Ball back onto his belt, while Niya sent out her Glameow.

"Glameow, go inside the tent and take a sniff from Alyssandra's shoulder bag," said Niya, "Then help me track her."

Glameow nodded and did as it was told, then quickly exited the tent, and led Niya and the others off towards the river, then across it.

"Your Glameow must be one of a kind," said Sam as he dashed after Niya and her Glameow, "Not too many cat-like Pokémon I know that can track by scent. That's usually a dog-like Pokémon thing."

"It wasn't easy," laughed Niya as she ran, "A lot of work went into my Glameow, but now I have a rarity—and I'm perfectly fine with that. Now come on, we need to find Lyss, and let's hope she's okay when we do."

Sam, Jeremy and Niya ran after Glameow for almost a half hour, pausing only every so often to catch their breath. Their trip led them to a tree line, which they were inevitably forced to cross in order to find Alyssandra and keep following Glameow.

After almost another twenty minutes of forest, they came to a small clearing; there were figures in the clearing, and Glameow, Sam, Jeremy and Niya stopped outside of it.

"There's something or someone in there?" whispered Jeremy, "Should we go in and see who it is?"

Sam nodded. "Why not, it could be Lyss," he suggested, "What have we got to lose? We have our Pokémon on us just in case."

"I'll lead the way," said Niya, "If you're really that scared."

Jeremy rolled his eyes, and together, the three of them walked out into the clearing, Glameow close behind them. As they reached the middle of the clearing, they could see that the figure in the middle was Alyssandra, and she was sleeping. Dancing around her was a small little Pokémon, which Niya instantly identified as a Chingling.

"Well that makes sense," said Sam, "I've heard Chingling sometimes emit sounds that are on such a frequency that only certain people can hear them. They become hypnotizing, like a siren's song."

"Lyss must've been drawn to this Chingling in a similar manner then," said Jeremy, "And when she got here, she must've been so tired she fell asleep."

"Well, you're half right," yawned Alyssandra as she woke up, "I got here and the Chingling was dancing around happily. It was so cute, and I was so far from where I last remembered being that I introduced myself. We played for a bit, and then I grew sort of tired. Chingling noticed it, and used Sing on me, and put me to sleep for a bit."

"It's not normal for a Chingling to learn Sing, is it?" asked Jeremy in bewilderment.

"No, it is not," said Niya as she knelt down beside Alyssandra and helped her up off the ground, "Did you catch it while you were playing?"

Alyssandra shook her head, then began to run her hands through her hair, taking leaves out of it.

"No," she said, "I planned to do that after I woken up. I did promise it that it could come with us—it seemed so lonely up here."

"Well, what are you waiting for," said Sam, "We're leaving Jeremy's smoked, glazed and grilled chicken alone for this, hurry up and catch it!"

Alyssandra rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at Sam. "Honestly, you and this chicken," she sighed, "Fine, here I go then."

Alyssandra pulled out a Poké Ball and tossed it at the bouncing Chingling—who seemed entirely oblivious to anything that was happening around it—and with a few shakes, the Pokémon was caught.

"There, are you happy?" asked Alyssandra mockingly.

"I won't be happy until I get my chicken," laughed Sam as he and group began to return to camp.

Alyssandra sighed, but said nothing, too tired to speak, but also quite happy that she had made a new friend such as Chingling, while also excited, as the thought of her next Pokémon Contest swelled through her mind and filled her thoughts.

' _Only a few more days,'_ she thought to herself. ' _A few more days and that Floaroma Ribbon will be mine.'_


	20. 18 - In the Caves of 204

~ Chapter 18 ~

In the Caves of 204

" _I know I say this a lot, but I learned something else on my travels—but that's the point of these memoirs, to teach you everything I've learned—it's that caves hold many secrets. In fact, I believe that about half of the secrets out there in this Pokémon World come from caves, and the fact that no one has ever explored every corner of one. The first cave I ever entered I encountered two Pokémon that were supposed to be dead for millions of years, and then learned that herds of their species still exist. In this cave, I not only found a Skull Fossil belonging to an extinct Cranidos, I discovered that Pokémon that look harmless can actually be quite dangerous."_

Sam, Alyssandra, Niya and Jeremy looked at the huge cliff face and the cave that sat in the centre. The grassy, flat area at the top of the cliff was where the cave led, and the path above would take the group to Floaroma Town.

"So, this is the Ravaged Path?" asked Alyssandra, also eyeing the scenery.

Jeremy nodded. "Yeah," he said, "I wonder why they call it that."

"Well, if I remember correctly from when I was travelling," started Niya, "It's because the cave inside is ravaged. It's completely mangled, it looks like a heard of Tauros rampaged through the place, and then someone set off a group of Electrode."

"How did it end up that way?" wondered Sam, "Caves don't just ravage themselves. Even cave-ins don't do that much damage."

"There are two theories," explained Niya, "The first is that many Trainers have battles inside the path with wild Pokémon and with each other. The second theory says that there's a herd of wild Rhyhorn living in the tunnel."

"Well, I hope that it's the first one and not the second," said Jeremy as the group walked towards the cave, "Oh! Before I go into the cave, I want to transfer that Luxio I caught yesterday into my PC for the professor."

Jeremy pulled a Poké Ball from his bag and held it in his hand as he searched through his Pokétch for the PC application.

"I thought you were going to keep that Luxio?" asked Sam, "Didn't you say that you wanted it on your team?"

Jeremy nodded. "Yeah, but it seemed a little thin for a Luxio," he explained, "It just didn't seem healthy, so I want Professor Rowan to take a look at it for me. That way I know if it's healthy or not to take with me, and if not, I can get it healed."

Alyssandra looked at Jeremy impatiently, then groaned slightly. "All right, hurry though," said Alyssandra, "I want to get to Floaroma Town as soon as possible!"

Sam laughed. "Calm down, Lyss," he said, "Your contest doesn't start for another four days, and we'll be at Floaroma by nightfall. You have nothing to worry about."

"I know, but I want to get there for the Festival of Honey tomorrow!" she exclaimed, "I want to register before it closes, so I can participate."

"Why would you want to participate in that?" asked Sam.

"Well, it's a good opportunity to catch Pokémon," added Niya, "I've attended the festival before. They use honey to attract Bug Pokémon to specific trees, and you can catch them, as many as you like. It works similar to the Safari Zones in Kanto, Johto or Hoenn, or the Great Marsh in Pastoria City."

Sam thought it through for a moment, watching Jeremy as the Poké Ball started to glow red and turned into a red beam—similar to a Pokémon going into a Poké Ball—and disappeared into the black sensor of the Pokétch.

"All right, fine," he acquiesced, "We have the time between now and the contest, and I _would_ like to start catching Pokémon. Especially some Bug Pokémon; never caught those before. Maybe I'll catch a Beedrill."

"But aren't you afraid of Beedrill?" asked Jeremy finishing his business, allowing the group to enter the cave.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I can't catch one," he said, "In fact, it's a dream of mine."

Niya sighed. "You're an idiot, _and_ you're weird," said Niya, "But you're brave—I'll give you that. Few people want to face their fears like that."

"Thanks, Niya," smiled Sam, "That means a lot."

"That being said, I still think you're weird for it," Niya added quickly.

Sam sighed, and the group continued down the cave passageways.

They had brought out their flashlights, and now used them to help themselves navigate the darkness of the caves. The trip was relatively quiet, minus the crunching of the gravel, stones, and dirt beneath the groups' feet, that was, until Sam tripped over a stone, falling flat on his face.

While the others laughed, Sam got up and brushed himself off, looking down on the ground at what had tripped him. Sam noticed the rock, and almost dropped his flashlight as he saw what was inside of it.

"Guys look!" exclaimed Sam as he knelt down and began to dust at the stone, "It's a fossil!"

The others bent down as well, helping him dislodge it from the ground, then examined it, trying to get a better look.

"What kind?" asked Jeremy.

"It's a Cranidos, I think," concluded Niya, "I'm not _entirely_ sure, mind you, but from what I've seen before at the Oreburgh Museum, it looks like a Skull Fossil."

"That's cool," said Alyssandra, "It's funny though. We just finished seeing the real thing, now we found a fossil."

Sam laughed. "I know," he agreed, "But this one I'm keeping in my party—after I get it revived that is. I don't care what it takes, I'm sending this to the Museum for restoration."

Sam took another medium sized stone and started to chip away at the unnecessary parts of the unusually large fossil stone. After the stone was hewn down to an appropriate size, Sam took off his pack and slipped it inside.

"I'll transfer it over at the next Pokémon Centre," he said, "Now come on, let's keep going."

Alyssandra nodded. "Agreed," she said with a shiver, "Caves give me the creeps remember?"

The group let out a laugh and continued on down the pathway, hoping they would find the exit soon. The end seemed to near as they walked up a rising, spiralling area of the cave, which showed as proof that they were walking up the rise in the land.

After another twenty minutes of walking, the group finally reached what seemed to be the end of their trip in the cave—the exit to the cave just barely in sight—however, something unexpected happened as a Bronzong and Weavile appeared out of nowhere, stopping the group in their path.

"Weavile!" cried the Weavile, "Wea-Weavile!"

"Bronzoooong," said the Bronzong slowly.

"What do they want?" asked Alyssandra out of the side of her mouth.

Sam shrugged. "I don't know," he said, "I don't speak Pokémon. Jeremy any ideas?"

"Not a clue, but they don't seem friendly," said Jeremy warily, "Should we turn back? Or should we fight them?"

Alyssandra and Sam shrugged.

"That depends," said Sam slowly, "What do—"

Sam was stopped mid-speech as the Weavile charged in for an attack. Sam, Jeremy and Alyssandra shielded themselves with their arms, knowing the damage a Pokémon attack could do, but the attack never came. Before they knew it, Niya's Roserade had hopped in front of the group and sent Weavile back with a Magical Leaf.

"Didn't I say the first rule to be a Trainer is to keep a calm head?" said Niya with a smirk, "Now you guys had better help out here, I can't hold them off forever."

Sam and Jeremy nodded, and looked at each other.

"You take the Bronzong?" asked Sam, to which Jeremy responded with a nod,

"And you can take the Weavile," replied Jeremy.

Alyssandra rolled her eyes, "Of course, don't ask us if we want any Pokémon," she said, "Just assume."

"That's exactly what we're doing," joked Sam.

"Yeah, but since you're so bent on us asking you, we will," said Jeremy, "Niya, Alyssandra would you like to catch these Pokémon?"

"I'm not here to catch Pokémon," said Niya simply, "I'm here to help you guys achieve your goals and mentor you."

"Yeah, I'm fine, I don't want either of these Pokémon," sighed Alyssandra with an air of boredom.

Sam shot Alyssandra a sideways glance, making note of how difficult she was being, if only for the sake of messing with the boys. He admired her sense of humour, but quickly turned his mind back to the task at hand.

"Go, Luxio!" cried Sam as he tossed the Poké Ball through the air.

"Come on, Pikachu!" shouted Jeremy, "It's time we started using you again!"

Pikachu and Luxio appeared on the floor of the cave, eager and crouched, ready to fight their opponents.

"All right," started Sam, "Luxio, I want you to use Tackle on Weavile!"

"Pikachu use Electro Ball on Bronzong!" called Jeremy.

Luxio charged at Weavile, trying to get its full weight into the attack before it struck, but Weavile was too fast, and unleashed a Double Team, causing itself to multiply into several fake copies of itself and surrounded Luxio. The copies spun around, keeping the real Weavile hidden.

Luxio looked around at its many attackers, unable to discern which one to attack, but it didn't have time to find out as Weavile struck Luxio from behind, jumping out from amidst the clones, causing them to disappear.

Meanwhile, Pikachu had better luck as it blasted a ball of electricity at Bronzong, who took the hit, causing the metal in its body to be filled with the charge. Jeremy was smart for using Pikachu against a Steel type Pokémon, but his luck ran out as Bronzong outstretched its arms and placed one of them to the cave wall. Suddenly, the electric charge stopped, as Bronzong used its own body as a conductor for the electricity and grounded the attack.

Jeremy gritted his teeth and knew that so long as Bronzong kept its hand on that wall, or even nearby it, electric attacks wouldn't do as much damage as Jeremy wanted it to.

Sam and Jeremy redoubled their efforts, striking back at their attackers with new tactics. Weavile charged at Luxio, ready to unleash a Night Slash from its claw that glowed back with darkness.

Sam was ready for Weavile, not willing to give in, and commanded his Luxio instantly, "Luxio use Roar!" he cried.

Sam's attack worked, causing the Weavile to pause in the middle of its attack, frozen with fear.

"Now, use Bite, Luxio!" cried Sam, and his Luxio, its morale restored, lunged at Weavile with its teeth barred.

Weavile unfroze itself though, and dodged the Bite attack with near ease, only just barely avoiding the attack. Weavile quickly used another Double Team, but Sam was ready. There was no point in him trying to find and attack the real Weavile; that would take too long and was too impossible. Sam's plan was much better, fast, and safer.

"Luxio, use Spark and hit all of the Weavile!" commanded Sam diligently.

Luxio unleashed a charge of electricity upon its surroundings, causing a bright flash of light, and striking all of the Weavile at once, causing the fakes to disappear and the real one to hit the ground unconscious, giving off smoke from the electric attack.

Meanwhile, Jeremy and his Pikachu were battling Bronzong with just as much of a dilemma. Jeremy knew he had to get Bronzong to remove its hand from the wall, and not just from touching it, but from the vicinity of the wall as well. He also needed to keep the hand occupied long enough that the Bronzong wouldn't be able to put it back to the wall fast enough.

"Pikachu use Quick Attack!" cried Jeremy.

Pikachu charged towards Bronzong, dodging left and right, trying to avoid being predicted, and finally, slammed its body into Bronzong's and bounced off. The Bronzong barely felt the attack, and it was only after Pikachu had landed that Jeremy realized Bronzong had used Iron Defence.

Jeremy gritted his teeth and tried again. "Pikachu, use Slam this time! Full power!" called Jeremy.

Pikachu nodded, "Pi-KA-chu!" cried the Pokémon with determination, and then it charged towards Bronzong again, ready to strike once more.

Again, Pikachu bounced off of Bronzong's Iron Defence, and it seemed like Jeremy was never going to break through the Pokémon's defences, until finally, Jeremy dragged up the courage to try again.

"Pikachu, Slam, one last time! Put _everything_ you have into it this time!" yelled Jeremy. His Pikachu went for the charge, running at high speeds towards its target; then it jumped and threw its weight towards Bronzong. Finally, Bronzong did what Jeremy was waiting for and removed its hand from the wall, prepping for a Confusion attack.

As it prepped the Psychic attack between its two hands, Pikachu—as if reading Jeremy's mind—did a mid-air summersault, and broke itself from flying into Bronzong, instead causing it to fly over it.

Jeremy was quick to act. "Pikachu use Thunder Bolt!" cried Jeremy, and he watched as Pikachu released a bolt of electricity that struck Bronzong, causing it to hit the ground, while also frying the nearby rock—shattering a few stalagmites as well—before finally stopping itself.

Everyone cheered for Jeremy and Pikachu's victory, and Jeremy threw an empty Poké Ball at the Bronzong.

Sam had already caught his Pokémon and recalled Luxio to its Poké Ball. Jeremy smiled eagerly, waiting for the Poké Ball to stop shaking, and for the light in the centre to flash, showing that the Pokémon had been caught.

Then finally, the answer to Jeremy's prayers came, and the Pokémon yielded, accepting Jeremy as its Trainer, and the Poké Ball signified that. Jeremy cheered, and Sam ran up to him, giving him a hard high five.

Jeremy looked down at his Pikachu, who instantly climbed up its Trainer's leg and perched on his shoulder.

"You did amazing, Pikachu!" exclaimed Jeremy happily, "We did it, we caught Bronzong together! Good job! Are you ready to go back into your Poké Ball now?"

Pikachu shivered, and released some electricity form the red patches on its cheeks, which Jeremy took as a no.

"Some Pokémon just like to be free, Jeremy," explained Sam; "I think it's best you leave Pikachu out of its Poké Ball, if that's what it wants. Besides, if you want to be a Ranger one day you'll need to get used to it. Your partner Pokémon should never be in a Poké Ball—you never know when you'll need it right?"

Jeremy smiled, and scratched Pikachu between the ears, to which the Pokémon smiled, and squeaked happily.

"Yeah, you're right," he said, "Well, I guess you'll be a major member of the group now, Pikachu."

"Pi-KA!" cheered Pikachu.

Everyone laughed, impressed at how human Pikachu was—as Pikachu was a reminder of the intelligence of all Pokémon.

"Come on, now!" said Alyssandra as she dashed towards the exit, "We want to get to Floaroma to register for the festival, right? We got to get there before sundown!"

Sam sighed and doubled over. "Just when I think it's all over," he sighed, "All right then, come on, let's go."

Jeremy and Niya nodded, and together, the group ran from the cave and out on to the rest of Route 202, running towards their goal: Floaroma Town.


	21. 19 - Floaroma Town, Festival of Honey

~ Chapter 19 ~

Floaroma Town, The Festival of Honey

" _Floaroma Town was truly a beautiful place. I have never seen so many flowers in one place before, and to this day I have yet to see a place that matches the beauty that is Floaroma—although, if we are counting places I'm not supposed to talk about, I think a few places we've visited in the coming years beat it. We showed up at the perfect time too. When we arrived, it was the start of the Festival of Honey, and annual event that celebrates Floaroma's honey and Bug Pokémon. Suffice it to say, there was a lot of catching to be done that day."_

The group woke up that morning with a sense of excitement in them. They quickly devoured their breakfast, and then ran towards the videophones—having registered for Festival of Honey last night—hoping to get their Pokémon transferred and their routines done before the festival began.

Sam first dialled his grandmother's number, so that he and Jeremy could speak to their families, and Jeremy could speak to Professor Rowan about his recently caught Luxio.

"Jeremy, Pikachu, good morning!" cried Mrs. De Oliveira as she picked up the phone, "I was wondering when you were going to call."

"Pi-Pika!" responded Pikachu cheerfully.

"Hey, mom," said Jeremy.

"Hello, Sam, Alyssandra and Niya," greeted Jeremy's mother cheerfully to the others. Everyone else returned the gesture. "Oh, Sam, your grandmother wanted me to tell you that she's at the store," explained Jeremy's mother, "Just in case you called while she was out."

Sam nodded. "Thank you, Mrs. De Oliveira," said Sam graciously; then he stepped back from the videophone slightly, allowing Jeremy to talk to his mother, while also being close enough to respond if he was asked a question.

"How are you kids doing?" asked Mrs. De Oliveira, "Have you been keeping safe?"

Jeremy chuckled. "Relatively," he said, "We're in Floaroma Town now." "Oh, Floaroma Town! I heard its filled with flowers; it must be so beautiful!" swooned Jeremy's mother, "Many of the flowers in my garden were brought from Floaroma—oh I wish I could be there with you."

"So how are things back home, mom?" asked Jeremy. "Oh, we've been keeping busy," smiled Jeremy's mother, "We miss you around here, but we're so proud of you, all of you! And we know you're going to go far."

Jeremy smiled. "Thanks, mom," he said, "You know, I've been thinking recently about what I might do with my life. Sam's going to be a Trainer and all, and Alyssandra's a Coordinator—Niya can be both."

"What is that son?" asked Jeremy' mother, "What do you want to do?"

Jeremy paused, then with a small smile he waved his hand. "Nah, it's nothing," he said, "It's not really anything—never mind. Is Professor Rowan there?"

Jeremy's mother paused as she watched her son, and then looked behind her. "Yes, he's down in the basement," she explained, "He spends much of his time down there or in the garden—that's where he studies your Pokémon you know. You guys have caught quite a bit of them, and some of them are so cute! Alyssandra, your Mime Jr. and his friends were just adorable."

"Thank you, Mrs. De Oliveira," smiled Alyssandra, "I only wish I didn't have to send it to Professor Rowan, but I know he needs to study my Pokémon and Mime Jr. doesn't want to leave its friends."

"It sounds just like you guys," joked Mrs. De Oliveira, "Completely inseparable. Now, I'll go and get Professor Rowan for you Jeremy, I know you must be in a hurry."

Jeremy's mother disappeared from the screen, and after several minutes of waiting and silence, Professor Rowan appeared on the screen.

"Hello, kids, and hello there Pikachu!" he said, "I see you're keeping your Pikachu out of its Poké Ball now, huh?"

Jeremy nodded. "Yeah," said Jeremy, "I figured—well I just thought Pikachu might like it better."

"I'm so glad to hear it!" exclaimed the professor, "Now, I believe Jeremy, you had a question for me?"

"Yes, Professor," answered Jeremy, "I wanted to know how the Luxio's doing? It looked a little too skinny and a bit sickly when I caught it, I wanted to know if it was all right and healthy enough for me to use in my permanent roster."

Professor Rowan nodded and scratched his beard. "Oh yes, the Luxio," he said with a small smile, "It's perfectly all right actually, but from what I could tell it hasn't eaten as much as it should've. It could be that it's native habitat is running low on food—perhaps from an overpopulation of Pokémon in that area."

"Is that all?" asked Jeremy, "So what should I do? I mean, I'm it's Trainer right, I should care for it."

Professor Rowan smiled, "Yes, of course," he said, "What you need to do though is feed it. But whatever Sam and Alyssandra's Luxio eat, double it for yours. Keep it like that for a few days, a week at the most; just until it starts to fill out like a normal Luxio. And don't forget to exercise it! You don't want it to become too overweight or lethargic, and activity will help strengthen its muscles again."

Jeremy nodded, "All right, I will," he said, "I don't suppose I should use it to battle?"

Professor Rowan shook his head. "No, I don't think that wise," he explained, "It's still too weak for that, but once it's ready, by all means. It will need to build up its strength again anyway."

"All right, thank you so much Professor," said Jeremy with gratitude, "I really appreciate it."

"Oh, it's nothing," said the professor with a hearty chuckle, "I owe all of you children for everything you've done. You've helped me with my research, you've saved my life and my research from Team Galactic, and you, Sam, gave Pascal and I a place to stay while we're in hiding. If, one day, the time comes for you to ask a favour, no matter what it is, ask and I will do it. Now, here, let me transfer your Luxio over to you Jeremy, and I shall get back to my research."

"Thank you, professor, again," laughed Jeremy, "And don't worry, we'll be sure to collect on that debt if we need it—but truly, we were only happy to help."

"Oh, and Jeremy, if I may provide you with a bit of advice?" asked Professor Rowan.

Jeremy nodded, and the Professor continued.

"Don't be afraid to tell your mother about your ambitions," he said intuitively, "I know you want to be a Pokémon Ranger. Nancy mentioned it to me yesterday over dinner, and I think that's a wonderful idea. In fact, it's a perfect job for you."

"I just, I feel bad that I want to go off and go on adventures and help people when my family is at home worrying about me," explained Jeremy, "Being a Pokémon Ranger isn't exactly the safest job in the world."

"That shouldn't stop you from fulfilling your dreams," said the Professor, "That's your family, and they love you no matter what. They would want you to be happy."

"Yeah, Jeremy," said Sam supportively, "Remember when I first left home to start this journey with you guys? I felt so guilty because my grandmother was left home alone, but my grandmother was so happy that I went out to follow my dreams, and she stands behind me through everything. And your mother was so supportive, and Professor Rowan too, they help her out now that I'm not there."

Jeremy nodded slowly. "Yeah, I suppose," he said, "I'll bring it up to her next time I call."

"Good, and don't be afraid," said Professor Rowan, "If you need help to interpret what you want to say, you can ask me. I'm good with these sorts of things."

"Guys, hurry, the festival if starting soon!" said Alyssandra in a rush.

"Oh, you guys had best be off then! The Festival of Honey is not something you want to miss," said Professor Rowan, "Your Luxio is in transfer now, I'll speak to you all later! Good luck catching today!"

"Thank you!" replied the kids, and the screen went black.

Just as it did, a Poké Ball appeared in the transporter capsule, and Jeremy eagerly picked it up and placed it on his ball belt.

"I'm going to quickly give this to Nurse Joy and see if she can feed it while we're out catching," explained Jeremy before darting off to the front desk.

"I'm going to be a second longer," said Sam, "I want to get my fossil transferred, I'll meet you guys at the festival. Just go on ahead, all right?"

Alyssandra looked flustered but kept her cool. "All right, but hurry," she said, "I don't want you being late. They won't let you in if you are."

"I always seem to make it don't I?" joked Sam.

Alyssandra stuck her tongue out at him then walked off with Niya, heading towards the door with Jeremy quick behind them. Sam turned back to the videophone and quickly dialled the number he wrote down last night, calling up the Oreburgh Museum. Suddenly the screen shot to life, and none other than Roark answered the phone.

"Hello, Oreburgh Mining Museum," he said, "How may I help you?"

"Roark? Hey, Roark, it's me, Sam!" said Sam with surprise, "How are you?"

"Sam? Hey! I'm great," he replied, "How are you?"

"I'm great, I'm headed to Eterna for my next Gym Battle," explained Sam, "But we stopped by Floaroma Town for Alyssandra's contest, and now we're participating in the Festival of Honey."

"That's cool," said Roark, "Glad to hear you're well."

"Yeah. I didn't know you worked at the Museum," said Sam, still in shock.

"Yeah, my grandfather opened this place, and my father worked here before me," explained Roark, "Now I work here. It's part of the duties that come with being Gym Leader. That and being in charge of the Oreburgh Mine."

Sam laughed; he understood what Roark was talking about.

"So, what can I do for you?" asked Roark.

"I have a Pokémon fossil here actually," said Sam, "I found it in the Ravaged Path. I think it belongs to a Cranidos."

"You want it restored then?" asked Roark intuitively.

Sam nodded. "Correct," he said, "Just tell me what it costs, and I'll send it over with the fossil."

"Don't worry about it," said Roark, "I'll do it for nothing. After that Gym Battle you gave me I owe you one. I've never been so challenged in a battle like that before. You were smart to teach your Pokémon those moves."

Sam smiled. "Well, I had help from my friends," he admitted, "They gave me the advice to teach my Pokémon those moves. But are you sure? I feel bad that you're doing it for nothing."

"It's fine, really," said Roark, "Now, just send that fossil over and I can get to work. It may take a few weeks, maybe one or two, but I'm sure I can get your Cranidos to you before your next battle."

"No worries," shrugged Sam, "Take all the time you need. I'll give a ring once I reach Eterna to see where you're at, is that okay?"

"Yeah, that's fine," he said, "I should be finished by then. You just call me up and I'll send it over."

Sam nodded, and placed the Skull Fossil inside of the transporter, and sent it over with the push of a button. "All right, it's sent," he said, "Now, I got to get going. The festival's about to start and Lyss will kill me if I'm not there on time."

"Yes, I got it on this end. Now go, you don't want to keep her waiting," chuckled Roark, "It was great to see you again!"

"You too!" said Sam in return, "Bye!"

The screen went black again, and Sam quickly turned towards the door and dashed out. Sam ran down the main road of the small town, listening to the sounds of the crowd that gathered in the meadow just outside of the town. Sam ran for ten minutes before finally reached the festival grounds. He pushed through the crowd, weaving between people until it finally reached the participants line up. Sam slipped himself in between Alyssandra and Jeremy, both who shot him glances while the opening ceremonies began.

"You made it just in time," whispered Jeremy.

"Not a moment too soon," said Alyssandra with a hint of bitterness.

"Oh relax, I said I'd make it, didn't I?" joked Sam, "And I made it."

The group fell silent as the local Nurse Joy went up on the stage to speak.

"Welcome, citizens and travellers," she said in her usually soft voice, "And welcome to the fiftieth annual Festival of Honey!"

The crowd cheered and whistled, supporting the festivities with everything they had.

"As you all know, this celebration is held once a year at the end of spring and the beginning of summer to commemorate the rich wealth of honey and Bug Pokémon that this town has," explained Nurse Joy, "As part of the festival, these young Trainers here who had signed up as volunteers for the catching contest, will be given each a jar of honey to lather on a tree and to attract the most Pokémon in fifteen minutes."

Nurse Joy turned towards the competitors and looked at each of them. "Competitors," she said dutifully, "Apart from a jar of honey, you will be given each fifteen Poké Balls. As I said, whoever catches the most Pokémon in fifteen minutes wins the contest, and a year's supply of honey. All you must do is toss the Poké Ball at the Pokémon once it is distracted by the honey, and hope you catch it!"

"I hope none of us win," said Jeremy out of the corner of his mouth, "We don't have any room for the honey in our bags."

Nurse Joy then walked down from the stage and began to walk down the line of contestants. She handed each contestant a small basket with fifteen Poké Balls and a small jar of honey. Once everyone had received their honey and Poké Balls, she returned to the stage and caught the attention of the crowd.

"Now, if all of the participants will pick a tree," said Nurse Joy, "We can begin the contest."

Sam dashed from the line-up instantaneously, hoping to get one of the bigger trees. The bigger the tree meant the more Pokémon lived inside of it, and that meant that it would be easier for Sam to attract Pokémon—at least that's how it worked in his mind.

Sam chose one of the biggest trees in the meadow, right near the victor's table too, ironically. He quickly lathered the honey all over the trunk of the tree when he was told and waited for the starting bell to ring.

Within minutes the bell gave a distinctive ding, and Sam jumped behind a nearby bush, waiting for Pokémon to appear, but nothing happened. Other people had Pokémon flock to their tree almost seconds after the honey was placed there; even Alyssandra already had two Burmy licking honey from the bark of her tree, but nothing came to Sam. Sam became antsy and nervous, wondering how he was going to win with no Pokémon coming to his tree; he was very competitive.

He waited for five minutes, but nothing happened, then ten, and still nothing. Everyone else had already used up most of their Poké Balls, and Sam was starting to get nervous.

"Come on," he said confidently and hopefully, "Come on."

Suddenly, with only a few minutes' left, a Mothim appeared at Sam's tree, slowly licking the honey off of it, not noticing Sam. Sam smiled, knowing this was his chance, and he quickly threw his Poké Ball. The Poké Ball shook, and after a minimalist attempt to break free on the part of the Mothim, it was caught.

"Yes!" cheered Sam, looking over at Nurse Joy, who had just rung the ending bell.

"All Trainers, please come over to the victors table now and present your Pokémon," said Nurse Joy, "The judging will begin now."

Sam dashed back over to his friends, quickly entering the line towards the back.

"What did you guys catch?" asked Sam.

"I got two Burmy, a Kricketot and a cute little Cherubi!" said Alyssandra happily.

"I got a Mothim and a Wormadam, you?" he asked, satisfied with his haul.

"I don't feel too bad then," joked Sam, "I only managed to catch a Mothim. I guess it's really all in the luck, you know?"

Alyssandra nodded. "I know what you mean," she said, "I _never_ expected to catch this many Pokémon—but I doubt I'll win, I saw some boy use all of his Poké Balls and them some of his own!"

"I know, I saw him too," exclaimed Jeremy, "Man he's gonna be tough to beat. I feel bad about Niya though, she only stayed on the side-lines as a spectator—isn't she ever going to catch some Pokémon?"

"She said she didn't want to catch Pokémon," explained Alyssandra, "The only Pokémon she's ever caught are on her team. Anything more is unnecessary to her."

"She's adamant about that huh?" asked Sam with amazement at Niya's stubbornness, "I mean she's almost as stubborn as me."

"Almost," joked Jeremy, which prompted a laugh from everyone.

The judging was soon over, as Alyssandra, Jeremy and Sam showed their Pokémon to Nurse Joy. After minutes of deliberating, Nurse Joy and the local Officer Jenny had decided on the winner.

"And the winner is, Tommy!" exclaimed Nurse Joy, which gained a massive cheer from the crowd.

A boy with short jet-black hair and a tall stature walked up to the stage and received the golden trophy that was shaped like a beehive. As the crowd continued to cheer, Nurse Joy managed to control them temporarily before speaking again.

"Now that the catching contest is over, everyone may now join in for games and other contests!" said Nurse Joy, "As you can see to my left we have set up the small carnival, and we would be delighted if you could all join us!"

"Come on!" said Alyssandra enthusiastically as she grabbed Sam and Jeremy's hands, "Let's go get Niya and we can go play some carnival games!"

Alyssandra then charged off into the crowd with a look of bliss and determination on her face, dragging Sam and Jeremy behind her.


	22. 20 - Showdown at the Valley Windworks

~ Chapter 20 ~

Showdown at the Valley Windworks

" _Just when we thought we could start to relax, Team Galactic showed up and shattered that dream. The beauty that was Floaroma Town was nearly destroyed by their plans. Team Galactic sought to take power from the Valley Windworks, and put it towards their schemes, and although we managed to defeat them, they still managed to steal the power they needed. It wasn't until later that we realized what they planned to do with all of that extra energy, and by that time it was too late to stop them—at least, before they could unleash their plans that is. We did manage to get them after though, but this was all much later on in my long story."_

The group exited the Pokémon Centre after finishing their breakfast. They were hoping to help Alyssandra train for her contest tomorrow out in the meadow, that way she would have all the room she needed to practice.

While the group walked from the Pokémon Centre, Jeremy and Niya were in a heated discussion, causing Jeremy's Pikachu to prefer sitting on Alyssandra's shoulders instead, while Jeremy and Niya were talking quickly about Jeremy's decision to become a Pokémon Ranger.

"You should have called your mother back last night," said Niya calmly, "She deserves to know."

"But I can't," replied Jeremy, "I can't tell her, I'd feel bad."

"She's your mother, Jeremy, your family. She'd be okay with you going out there and chasing your dreams," responded Niya, "That's what you're supposed to do."

"I know, but what if I don't make it? Then I'll have done all that talking for nothing," said Jeremy with a sigh, "It'll be _so_ embarrassing!"

"They're your family, Jeremy," said Niya adamantly, "They'll never laugh at you. You have no reason to feel embarrassed."

"Yeah," added Sam with a smirk, "Besides, if anyone's going to laugh at you it'll be us. We're your friends, only _we_ have the right."

Niya gave Sam a look, not stern or angry, but simple a deadpan look, and Sam quickly returned to his conversation with Alyssandra.

"As I was saying," continued Niya, "Your family will never laugh at you mean too much to them. They'll support you no matter what; that's what families do."

Jeremy didn't have time to respond, as the entire group paused, speechless, and watched as Looker chased after several Team Galactic grunts. His chase soon ended as the grunts jumped into a nearby van and drove off down the road and out of sight.

Sam looked at the others, and with a nod. He need only say, "Let's go." In seconds, the promise to Professor Rowan was eclipsed by the group's desire to seek justice and do good.

The group bolted towards Looker, who stood in the middle of the street, bent over, catching his breath.

"Hey, Looker, are you, all right?" asked Sam.

Looker stood up and glanced over at the group. "Oh, hello," he said, "I never expected you to be here. It seems you're always around at the right time."

"We like to think of it as a special skill of ours," joked Jeremy. Looker chuckled then sighed and scratched his forehead.

"What were _they_ doing here?" asked Alyssandra, pointing the in the direction Team Galactic had just driven off.

"They've been lurking around here for days apparently. They've been trying to steal the key for the Valley Windworks from Officer Jenny," explained Looker, "They just recently succeeded, and unfortunately I wasn't able to stop them."

"Why'd they go for the key?" asked Jeremy, "They are planning on stealing a windmill?"

Looker shook his head. "Not the windmill, the energy it produces," he said, "According to my sources, they're planning on stealing energy. They'll probably have taken everyone hostage by the time we get there, and they're not going to stop until they have all the energy they need."

"Is there anything we can do for you?" asked Niya, "We're happy to help in any way we can. We have experience with these guys."

Looker gave a small smile then turned back towards where Team Galactic had disappeared over the horizon. "All right," he said, "Since you're offering, I want you to storm the Valley Windworks and stop them. Same plan as last time. You go ahead, thrash them a bit, and I'll come in with Officer Jenny and her reinforcements. It seems you kids have better luck against Team Galactic than I do—besides, you've proven yourself capable to handle these thugs."

Sam nodded. "We'll deal with them, don't worry," he said reassuringly, "We'll be back and done with them before you know it."

"Thank you," said Looker, "It means a lot, all of this help you give us."

"It's nothing," said Alyssandra, "It's the least we could do as citizens. We heard what these guys can do, and we don't want that to happen to anyone else."

"Good, now hurry over to Valley Windworks, before Team Galactic gets way," said Looker, and with that, he ran back towards the police station, while the group ran down the road after Team Galactic.

The group continued to run, down the street and to the edge of town, and then out past the town and into the nearby valley. Were it not for the circumstances that had brought them there, the valley would've been much more beautiful, as the group would've had more time to take in the scenery and enjoy it. But instead, time was of the essence.

They continued to run for almost twenty minutes; then skidded to a halt just outside of the Valley Windworks gates. There were windmills everywhere, on the hills nearby and all over the lawn of the Windworks. Two Team Galactic grunts stood guard outside the door and didn't seem like they were going to let anyone get inside so easily.

"All right, I'm going to take them on, someone join me," said Sam in a whisper, "It'll be easier if it's two on two."

"I'll do it," said Alyssandra, "I've been using my Buneary a lot lately, but I want to keep using it. I want it to evolve, hopefully this will do it."

"Come on," said Sam taking Alyssandra by the hand and running with her until they stood in front of the two Galactic grunts.

"Hey! What are you kids doing here!" yelled the grunt on the left.

"Get out of here or we'll make you sorry you came!" shouted the grunt on the right. Sam and Alyssandra looked at each other and nodded then tossed their Poké Balls through the air towards their opponents. Sam sent out his Prinplup, while Alyssandra sent out her Buneary. The two grunts didn't take this lightly, and each sent out their Pokémon, a Murkrow on the right, and a Houndour on the left.

"Prinplup, use Metal Claw on Houndour!" shouted Sam.

"Buneary, use Jump Kick on Murkrow!" cried Alyssandra.

Prinplup's fins began to glow, and it charged towards Houndour, ready to slash at the Pokémon with its hard-as-metal claws. Prinplup gave the first swipe, landing a hit that sent Houndour flying, but as it swiped a second time, the grunt on the right called for Houndour to retaliate with Flamethrower. Prinplup was struck before it could react and skidded back several feet before the blast of flames ended.

Buneary didn't have any better luck either and was left disappointed as its Jump Kick missed its mark when Murkrow flew into the air and out of the reach of Buneary.

"Time to take things up a notch," said Sam with a hint of anger, "All right, Prinplup, use Bubble Beam on Houndour then charge towards it!"

"Buneary, jump up and grab Murkrow's feet!" cried Alyssandra.

Buneary sprung on its hind legs and reached for Murkrow's feet as it flew into the air. Luckily for Buneary, it grabbed onto its mark, and dragged Murkrow back down the ground. As Buneary returned to the ground, Alyssandra reacted it quickly.

"Buneary, slam Murkrow into the ground then jump back up again!" commanded Alyssandra skilfully.

Buneary did as it was told, and Alyssandra continued her commands. "Buneary, jump up and slam down into Murkrow with a Jump Kick!"

Buneary again did as commanded and jumped back into the air while Murkrow lay there, stunned. Buneary straightened its body as much as possible, extended its legs towards the ground, ready to kick them into Murkrow and knock it out. Buneary's feet hit their mark, and the Murkrow fell unconscious almost instantly.

Meanwhile, Prinplup unleashed its Bubble Beam at Houndour, which Houndour dodged with ease. However, as it was busy dodging the Bubble Beam, it didn't notice Prinplup getting closer. By the time it realized, Prinplup struck at Houndour with another Metal Claw.

"Good, Prinplup!" shouted Sam, "Now use Bubble Beam while you're close up!"

Prinplup did what it was told, and the Bubble Beam shot from its mouth, and slammed into Houndour, causing it to also fall unconscious.

The two grunts glared at Sam and Alyssandra, and charged towards them angrily, until they were stopped in their tracks, following two loud whacks. The two grunts then fell to the ground, as unconscious as their Pokémon, and it was revealed that Jeremy and Niya had snuck up behind them and struck them over the head with a stick they had found nearby.

"We could've handled it," smirked Sam as Jeremy threw the stick aside.

"You might've been able to, but Alyssandra's not a fighter," said Niya, "We were doing you a favour. Two against one isn't a fair fight."

"Not for them. Not if they're fighting me," joked Sam as the group approached the door of the Windworks.

"Be careful Sam," said Alyssandra with her tongue out, "Your head might get too big and you won't be able to fit through the door."

Sam rolled his eyes playfully, and the group fell silent again.

Quietly and quickly they threw open the door, using a key they found on the now unconscious grunts, and dashed into the small power building.

Jeremy was quick to act, as he is noticing that there were two more grunts inside standing beside a redheaded woman, whose hair went off into three different points, while her jumpsuit top branched off into a dress with a perfectly circular hem. She looked like an astronaut in a dress. The Team Galactic grunts stood with the woman in the main room of the building, surrounded by hostages.

"Pikachu use Thunder Shock on the two grunts!" shouted Jeremy.

Pikachu jumped from Jeremy's shoulder and loosed two bolts of lightning, which struck and incapacitated the two Galactic grunts.

The woman with red hair wheeled around and threw a Poké Ball in response. Out came a Zubat, and she started to give it a command for Poison Sting, but she was stopped as Niya commanded her Roserade to let loose a Magical Leaf, which struck Zubat, knocking it out in one shot.

The woman paused halfway to her next Poké Ball; then stopped. Instead of retaliating, she gave a condescending smile and started to clap slowly.

"Give up, Team Galactic," said Sam, "You're outnumbered four to one, and you're down to your last Pokémon, you won't win!"

The woman threw back her head and laughed. "I'm impressed, really," she said, "I've never seen kids with the courage to stand up to us before. It's brave. Futile, but brave nonetheless."

"Why are you laughing?" asked Alyssandra, "You're outnumbered, and you're captured. Looker should be here soon with the police and then you'll go to jail!"

The woman laughed again. "Do you know who I am?" she asked, "No, I don't suppose you do, I'd best introduce myself them. I'm Mars, Galactic Commander Mars actually. I'm in charge of this operation."

"Not very smart telling us who you are," said Jeremy, "Now you're captured, _and_ this operation is over."

"Says who?" asked Mars coolly, "You think my men won't continue this operation without me? Please, by all means, bring me in—but I have more men in this building, and once they return _they_ will outnumber _you_."

"So, what? We'll just fight them all off," said Sam, "I've fought your associates before, and believe me, they could use stronger Pokémon."

"Is that so?" asked Mars, "Then perhaps you can tell them that yourself when you meet them."

"You mean once we kick their butts," said Alyssandra with a smile of determination on her face.

Mars laughed again. "Foolish little girl," she said softly.

"You're the fool," returned Jeremy, "We kicked you guys out of Jubilife, and we're going to kick you out of here too!"

Mars' condescending and wicked smile disappeared with a look of anger.

"You?" she said slowly, "You?! You're the ones who ruined our operations in Jubilife City? I was told several skilled Trainers did that! How can it be that a bunch of kids destroyed our Jubilife operations?"

"We're not just a bunch of kids," laughed Sam, "We're _the_ bunch of kids."

Mars' calm composure returned, and she closed her eyes, regaining her calm.

"Well, I suppose I should feel honoured then," she said, "I'm in the presence of such skill and talent. Congratulations—you've managed to defeat a handful of useless grunts."

"If they're so useless why do they defend you?" asked Niya almost as coolly as Mars, "Could it be your boss finds you useless as well? Not worth the good guards?"

Mars reached for her last Pokémon. "Why you little—" she yelled but was stopped as a voice came over her walkie-talkie.

"Ma'am, we've filled the batteries and the energy converter," said the voice, "We're loading them onto the helicopter now; it's waiting out back to take us to HQ. Are you ready to depart?"

"Almost," said Mars, "How much energy did we steal?"

"It should be enough to last us another six months if we need it," said the voice, "They had a lot of it stored up here."

"Good," said Mars, "I'll be out there in a minute. Wait for me." The connection between the walkie-talkies cut off, and Commander Mars turned back towards the group.

"Well, I would _love_ to stay and chat, but I need to get going," she said smilingly slyly, "You see I was merely a distraction while my men got what we came for. I'll let you go—as I have no need to crush you. But I give you this warning: do not interfere in our affairs again, or we will _not_ hesitate to do you harm, do you understand? Now with that said, goodbye!"

"Get her, quick!" shouted Sam, moving in to try and grab Mars, but he was too late. She dropped a smoke bomb and escaped before anyone could grab here. Coughing and blinded by the smoke, Sam managed find the door and escape with everyone before they collapsed from the smoke bomb.

As they exited the building and dropped to their knees, hacking up spittle and gasping for air, Looker arrived on the back of Officer Jenny's motorcycle, with several police vans behind them. They stopped in a semicircle in front of the building, just in time to see the Team Galactic Helicopter fly off towards the north. Looker ran over to the group, helping them up and dusting them off.

"Are you, all right?" he asked, "What happened?"

"Mars," coughed Sam, "Mars was a distraction."

"She got away with a smoke bomb," added Jeremy.

"We tried," started Alyssandra, who then had a coughing fit as well, "Tried to stop them, but they got away before we could do anything."

Looker sighed. "Well, it's all right," he said, "You can't win them all. You got these two grunts out here."

"And two more inside," said Niya as she regained her breath, "Mars left them behind."

"Mars?" asked Looker, "You mean one of the Commanders of Team Galactic? This must have been a big operation then…I don't blame you guys for not succeeding—I mean, I know you could have had you been expecting her, but—anyway don't worry about it. There's no harm done, we'll get them next time, and you can help."

Sam smiled weakly. "Thanks," he said, but it was no consolation for his damaged ego.

The whole group felt dejected. They were on a winning streak with Team Galactic and now they finally lost, and even though they technically beat Mars, she had still played them and managed to escape with her goal.

Looker left the group quickly, running over to help apprehend the two now very conscious and very angry grunts that had woken up outside of the building.

Alyssandra sighed. "My Buneary didn't even evolve either," she said, "I was so hoping it would."

Just as she said that however, she looked down as she felt her Buneary tugging at her dress and was just in time to see it glow white. With a proud look on her face, Alyssandra watched as her Buneary evolved into a Lopunny.

"Lopunny," said Lopunny in a very sweet and innocent tone.

"I take that back," said Alyssandra beaming, picking up her Lopunny and hugging it, "Something good _did_ happen after all."

Sam was about to congratulate her when a tall man in a pair of overalls and a hard hat walked over to the group. He tipped his hat to Niya and Alyssandra and looked down at Sam.

"Thank you, young man," he said thankfully; "You saved this Windworks from Team Galactic."

"But they got away," said Sam, "How did I—?"

The man cut Sam off with a laugh. "You got them out of here, that's all that matters to me," he explained, "And now we can all return to our families. Here, have this."

The man in the hard hat passed a Poké Ball to Sam.

"What is it?" asked Sam.

"It's a Drifblim," answered the worker, "They're common in this area. I found it the other day, it was stuck in the current caused by the windmills, but I'm not a Trainer, and I don't have any use for it. I'd be honoured if you took it."

Sam didn't know what to say, and after finally exiting his state of shock, accepted, and smiled up at the very tall, well-muscled man.

"Thank you," he said, "I'll take good care of it."

With that, the man was gone, walking towards the police to give his account of what happened. Sam placed the Poké Ball into his shoulder bag then turned to the group.

"Let's go get dinner," he said, "Celebrate a job well done."

"Are you sure you want to do that?" asked Niya with a smile, "Didn't you say we failed?"

"The man was right though," replied Sam, "We did _something_ right. We got them out of here—and Looker was right too, we'll get them next time!"

"Let's just hope it's no time soon, because they really take a lot out of my poor Pokémon," frowned Alyssandra, "And they cut into my contest practice time!"

Everyone laughed and walked back towards Floaroma Town.

Even though it was a day wasted on what would seem like a hopeless endeavour to some, it was a learning experience for the future, and this one loss gave Sam and the others the passion and desire for revenge on Team Galactic. It was then that they made a vow, to never let Team Galactic get away again. From now on, they were not allowed to prevail—the group would beat them, no matter what.


	23. 21 - Floaroma Contest

~ Chapter 21 ~

Floaroma Contest

" _Alyssandra's second contest was a spectacle to behold. I never managed to be on time for another one after that—something always seemed to get in the way, I don't know why…but it was truly an amazing experience. When I saw her walk onto stage I could see that she understood how I felt when I battled against Roark. I could see that to her, this was the single most important thing in her life—just like the Sinnoh League was mine. I was proud of her—and it didn't hurt seeing her in that beautiful dress I got her in Jubilife City; that was a bonus."_

Niya combed through Alyssandra's hair with a brush as the latter sat, nervously chewing her nails as she prepared for the appeal portion of the Floaroma Contest.

"I can't believe it, why did I ever get involved in these contests?" groaned Alyssandra, "I should have stayed a Trainer and just taken the league challenge. Sure, I wouldn't have made it, but at least it wouldn't have been as nerve wracking as this."

"So how many contests did you say it took for the nerves to go away?" asked Sam as he watched Alyssandra break down in front of him.

Normally he wouldn't have been allowed backstage, but this time he managed to swing for the backstage passes early enough.

Niya shrugged. "I'm not sure," she responded, "Everyone's different. I was never nervous—although I should have been. I had a lot more riding on me than Lyss here. My Aunt Fantina is a Top-Coordinator."

"I know the feeling," said Sam, "My grandfather was like a god among men when it came to battle. I had to contend with that against Roark."

"You guys just don't get it!" shrieked Alyssandra, "I have to contend with Enzo and Valentina!"

"I don't understand what's so bad about them," said Sam as he shook his head, "I would love to have siblings who I could compete with."

"Hey, siblings aren't all they're cracked up to be," said Jeremy, "My brother's a pain in the butt sometimes—believe me, be thankful you're an only child."

Niya rolled her eyes at the two boys and continued Sam's train of thought for him. "I thought you were closer to your siblings than this?" added Niya, "You always seemed so bonded."

"That was before they went off on their Pokémon Journeys," responded Alyssandra.

"I still don't get it. Is there something I'm missing?" asked Sam, "Because I'm lost."

"Ditto," added Niya.

"Me too," piped in Jeremy.

Alyssandra sighed and took her hairbrush from Niya's hands, then turned to face her friends as she brushed it herself. "I suppose we have enough time before my appeal for me to explain," she said slowly.

There was a long pause where Alyssandra stopped to think, the brush still running through her long, brown hair. "You guys are right," she started off, "I _do_ love my siblings, all of them; even the little ones. But I don't love living in their shadows—especially my younger brother's!"

"So, you're jealous of them?" asked Jeremy, "Why though?"

"I never said I was jealous!" said Alyssandra defensively, shooting a glare at Jeremy, "I'm proud of them, I really am! I just…I feel left behind. Ever since Valentina became Champion of the Sinnoh League by beating Cynthia she also became one of the most powerful Trainers in the Sinnoh Region."

"That's usually how it works," joked Sam, a small smirk crossing his face. He couldn't help it but shut his mouth quickly as Alyssandra glared at him and Niya elbowed him in the ribs.

"Well, since that happened, mom and dad have been talking about Valentina non-stop," explained Alyssandra, "Be like Valentina! Look at Valentina she's so strong! Look she's the Champion! Why can't you be more like Valentina? It wasn't bad enough I had to hear how my little brother got to do all of these cool things, but now I had to hear it from my sister. It was hard to hear about what my siblings were doing, while I was sitting at home knowing that I was never going to be able to do the same things. But then I started my Pokémon Journey recently, and all of these cool things started happening! We beat Team Galactic during our second week of being Trainers!"

Alyssandra let out a sigh, regaining her composure once more.

"But even that was taken from me by my siblings…even though I'm a Pokémon Coordinator now, I'll still never be special like my siblings. They've done it all before and seen it all before. Top Coordinator means nothing to Champion of the Sinnoh League, especially when that Champion is the youngest Sinnoh Champion in history."

There was no sound as Alyssandra sat there, staring at herself in the mirror. Tears stung at her eyes, but she did her best to hide them. Slowly, Sam walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, gently and reassuringly.

"Well, if that's all, then it's me to blame for this," said Sam quickly, not even realizing what he was saying until it was too late, "I told you to wait for me, and I told you to stay behind because I couldn't leave on a Pokémon Journey. I was foolish and young, and didn't feel ready to go, so I held you and Jeremy back by making you promise not to go either…and now you're paying that price like this, and I feel nothing negative from that deal…I'm sorry."

Alyssandra looked up at Sam slowly, her hand grasping the one on her shoulder tightly. She opened her mouth to say something, but was stopped when over the loudspeaker, a voice called her name.

Alyssandra looked at Niya, wheeling around in her chair, the nerves back in her system. "That's me!" she cried, "It's my turn to appeal! What if I mess up?!"

"There's no time to worry about that anymore," said Niya with a small smile, "But don't worry, you'll do fine! Just go and you'll be okay, I promise. I believe in you!"

"Just don't freak out!" called Sam after her, "You'll do fine!"

"Good luck, Lyss! We're rooting for you!" called Jeremy.

With that Alyssandra disappeared behind the curtain that led to the stage and could now be seen on the large screen in the middle of the preparation room.

Sam, Niya and Jeremy watched as she walked on stage to begin her appeal, but the enjoyment was cut short as a calm, cool voice spoke from out of nowhere.

"So that's what my sisters thinks of us, huh?" asked the voice.

The trio wheeled around, only to come face to face with a tall, young woman, with short blonde hair dyed red at the tips of her side bangs. She wore all black, with a sleeveless, cropped turtleneck top and long pants. Over the pants she wore a long, black, open front skirt supported by a brown leather belt that had several pouches and Poké Balls strapped to it.

Sam recognized this girl instantly. "Valentina?" he wondered aloud, "What are you doing here?"

Valentina smiled as she joined the trio by the TV. "I came to witness my sister's contest," she answered, "I meant to reveal myself a while ago but then she started her whole rant about her feelings—I apologize for that by the way—and I just stopped and listened."

"She still loves you," said Sam reassuringly, "She never said she didn't, she just said that she doesn't like living in your shadow."

"No, no," laughed Valentina as she waved her hand, "I know she doesn't hate me, but living in my shadow, well, there she has a point. I can't blame myself for her living in my shadow, I'm the eldest; I was going to do everything first anyway. I think what bugs her more is that now she has to live in Enzo's shadow too, and she's older than him."

"Same old Valentina," chuckled Niya, "You take nothing to heart, do you?"

"Well that's part of my job as Champion," she said smiling, "I need to keep a level head all the time whilst I govern the Pokémon League here in Sinnoh. In _and_ out of battle."

"Are you going to tell your sister that you're here?" asked Jeremy, looking back at the screen to watch Alyssandra's appeal.

Valentina shook her head. "No, I think it's best I don't show myself just yet. She needs some time to cool down from the nerves of the contest—but I will stay and watch; from the stands though."

"Well, I'm sure if she knew that she'd appreciate it," added Sam.

"She can't know I'm here either," warned Valentina cautiously, "I don't want the thought of me watching to ruin her performance in the battle portion."

"Fair enough," remarked Niya, "It _was_ nice to see you again though. I didn't think we'd get a chance to do that for a while." "Well, the Pokémon League is a funny thing," laughed Valentina, "The Elite Four are pretty tough, and not everyone makes it through for me, so I have a lot of free time on my hands as Champion. Now, I had better get going, it looks like her appeal's almost over. Just one last thing before I go—to each of you."

"Niya, keep watching out for my sister, and keep mentoring her. She needs someone near her age to act as a surrogate sister for her while she's travelling. Jeremy, nice to see you again, and although we've never been particularly as close as I am with Sam or Niya, I want you to know that I'm proud of you—all of you—but especially you. I heard from Professor Rowan about your dreams to become a Pokémon Ranger, and I think that's wonderful. You'll do well; but don't let your fears stop you from telling your family. Follow your dreams, and if that's what you want to do go do it. Finally, Sam," Valentina paused as she turned towards him, "Just ask my sister out already, damn it! Otherwise we'll all be waiting forever."

Everyone laughed, though Sam blushed lightly.

"I'll…we'll see," he said nervously, "I make no promises."

"Well, try at least," she joked, "Or I'm coming back here to hurt you."

"Jeez what's with all these girls and wanting to hurt me?" chuckled Sam sarcastically.

Valentina winked, and walked back towards where she had come from.

"Oh, and Valentina!" called Sam after her, "Don't get too comfortable in that Champion's seat just yet, because I'll be by in a few months, and I'm going to take it out from under you."

Valentina laughed and raised her hand in a backwards wave. "You can try," she called, "But you're going to have to try pretty hard; at least harder than you did in your match with Roark."

And with that, Valentina was gone, disappearing back towards the stands and the crowd.

Sam paused for a moment, and then realized what she said. "Wait how did she know about my battle with Roark?" he asked confused, "She wasn't there."

"Maybe she spoke with him?" suggested Jeremy, trying to be helpful to the weird situation.

Niya simply shrugged and turned her attention back to the monitor to watch Alyssandra.

Alyssandra timidly walked out towards the wings of the stage, waiting for her entrance to begin. In that time, she calmed herself—as much as she could, anyway—and entered the stage.

As she did she released her Cherubi, and it jumped out onto the stage, happily crying out. "Cherubi! Cher Cher! Rubi! Cherubi!"

Alyssandra smiled at the massive audience, and then at the judges.

Mr. Contesta, Mr. Sukizo and the Floaroma Nurse Joy were all gathered there, ready to judge Alyssandra's every move for the next few minutes.

Alyssandra reached the centre of the stage, and the announcer called her name once more, gaining a small cheer from the crowd.

"Alyssandra De Rossi from Twinleaf Town, everyone!" cried the announcer, "Today she will be making the appeal with her Cherubi! Some of you may remember her as the hip, young Coordinator who won the Jubilife Contest a few weeks ago! Let me tell you folks, if she lives up to our expectations today, then we can certainly expect big things from her! Now, let the appeal begin!"

Alyssandra's mindset changed as the starting bell rang. Instantly she was filled with confidence and was ready to do anything to win this contest. "All right, Cherubi, let's make the best of what you got!" cried Alyssandra, knowing full well that her Cherubi knew two moves that could help her in contest, "Use Magical Leaf!"

Cherubi tightened up its body, and then shot several glowing leaves into the air. "Cherubi!" it cried.

"Now hold it and lift them high up into the sky!" Cherubi focused all of its power into the Magical Leaf, raising the leaves high up into the air so they glittered like purple-black lights in the sky, twinkling and sparkling in the sunlight.

"All right, Cherubi," said Alyssandra, "Now make them shine brighter! Sunny Day!"

"Cheeeeeeerubi!" cried the Pokémon, and a bright flash of light erupted from the sky above the Magical Leaf—that's why Alyssandra loved the open dome of the Floaroma Contest Hall, it was perfect for Cherubi's Sunny Day.

The light shone bright, making the Magical Leaf glitter and sparkle even more brilliantly than before.

"Excellent!" said Alyssandra happily.

"That's some powerful Magical Leaf folks!" said the announcer, "And that Sunny Day makes it even more beautiful, it's like a Magical Leaf Christmas Tree!"

Alyssandra smiled, not paying attention to the announcer, only looking for the balloons that floated from the crowd, cut free by backstage helpers who had been tipped off beforehand.

"Right on time," she said, "All right, Cherubi! Let the Magical Leaf fly and hit those balloons!"

"What is she doing folks? She seems to be sending her Magical Leaf up over the crowd!" said the announcer grandly, his toupee and thick moustache twitching with excitement.

The Magical Leaf struck the balloons, causing loud popping noises to crack across the sky like invisible fireworks. As the balloons popped, hundreds of sparkles and confetti rained down gently on the crowd like a silver snowfall. The crowd cheered and tried to catch the falling flakes of paper.

Cherubi danced around Alyssandra and jumped into her arms.

Alyssandra hugged her Pokémon tight, and smiled down at it, laughing.

Alyssandra held her Pokémon close to her, facing the crowd, and bowed to them as they cheered for her performance.

"What a show folks, what a show!" cried the announcer, "I never saw that coming, this is amazing! Alyssandra's used the stadium to her advantage and made a beautiful display! Let's see what the judges think!"

Mr. Contesta went first, a large smile on his face, he said. "That was amazing. I've seen a lot of things in my time, but this is remarkable. Using not only your Pokémon, but your environment around you to your advantage like you did; amazing, and I think the announcer said it all when he said we can expect great things from you, Alyssandra."

The screen in the middle of his podium flashed with the number 9.0, and the judging moved on to Mr. Sukizo.

"Simply remarkable!" he cried, "Your display was beautiful, one of the best I've seen in a long time!"

His screen beeped, and again flashed with a 9.0.

Finally, Nurse Joy spoke, her name—being her usual mood—coming true in her speech. "Alyssandra, I remember you from the contest the other day," she started, "And I know that your Cherubi is a brand-new Pokémon to you. So, for you to use it as confidently and readily as you did today shows just how great of a Trainer you are. To put such trust in a new Pokémon and have that trust returned means that you have worked long and hard with Cherubi. For that, and for your excellent display I think you are very deserving of the points I am about to give you."

The screen beeped, and a perfect 10 appeared on the screen, the first 10 Alyssandra had received. She maintained her composure however, and bowed to the judges, thanking them heartily.

Alyssandra quickly left the stage and walked back to where her friends were; as she left the stage her composure left her, and she squealed happily until she was in the arms of her friends, who had tackled her with a group hug.

"We're so proud of you!" shouted Niya, "Congratulations!"

"You were amazing, I didn't know you planned that far ahead!" said Sam as the group pulled back.

"Yeah, using that Sunny Day was genius," complimented Jeremy, "The sun was up, and that Sunny Day made it even better for showing off the Magical Leaf. Overall, great way of making the best of what you got, especially when you had so little."

"Thank you, all of you," said Alyssandra happily, "I can't thank you all enough; you helped me train the past few days. It's because of you that Cherubi was so trusting of me, and I was so prepared to use it in this contest."

"Well it's not like you gave us a choice," laughed Sam.

Jeremy laughed as well, but Niya and Alyssandra rolled their eyes.

"Come on, let's go redo your hair for the battle portion," said Niya enthusiastically, "I'm sure you're going to move on—nobody else scored as high as you did yet."

With that, Niya grabbed Alyssandra by the hand and dragged her towards the changing rooms.

"My sister really has a talent for this," said a voice, strong and confident as ever.

Jeremy and Sam jumped at the sudden sound and turned around to see Valentina standing there again.

"I just stopped by to say goodbye to you guys," she said, "I can't stay; someone wants to challenge me back at the Pokémon League."

"They better not beat you before I do," said Sam determinedly, "I'm going to be the one replacing you."

Valentina simply laughed. "If you can manage to get past the Elite Four," she said, "Look, don't tell my sister I dropped by all right? I'll tell her later, I'll probably drop by again. I _am_ proud of her though, and I know as long as you keep supporting her she'll do amazing. My little sis is lucky to have friends like you."

Sam and Jeremy laughed. "We know," they said in unison.

"We've been trying to tell you that for years," said Jeremy, "At least you finally recognize it."

Valentina laughed and shook her head slowly. "Well, good luck you guys," she said calmly, "Jeremy, good luck with your dreams and Sam…well, I'm sure we'll see each other again before our fated match, but good luck just the same!"

Valentina turned on her heel again. She wasn't the same Valentina that Sam had known back in Twinleaf Town. There seemed to be something stopping this Valentina from seeing her sister…she seemed to love her sister as much as before; but the old Valentina would have _never_ left an important event of her sister's, let alone drop in without saying hello.

It must've been what Alyssandra had said this morning that changed it. Valentina must've felt bad for putting up this wall between her and Alyssandra.

Sam sighed, she was already gone, it was too late to try and smooth things over. "Come on Jeremy," said Sam, "Let's go wait by the change room; they'll probably want our opinions on how Lyss looks."

"Ugh, I hate giving my opinion," sighed Jeremy in a mocking tone, "It's so opinionated."

Sam and Jeremy laughed, and walked towards the change rooms, waiting outside until Alyssandra and Niya returned.

Alyssandra shrieked with happiness over dinner as she beamed at her new ribbon.

"My second ribbon!" she cried, "The Floaroma Contest was a synch! I'm one step closer to the Grand Festival!"

"Would you put that thing away?" laughed Sam, "You're going to get it dirty, or lose it."

"Perish the thought," gasped Alyssandra as she pinned it gently to the strap of her bag.

Niya grabbed a piece of sushi from the middle of the table and dipped it in a small bowl of soy sauce. "Oh, let her have her fun, Sam," smiled Niya, "You wouldn't shut up for days after you beat Roark, remember?"

"Yeah, but that was my _first_ badge, too," added Sam stiffly.

"Didn't make it any less annoying," laughed Jeremy.

Everyone let out a laugh, paused only by the waitress who brought another plate of sushi out.

"Man, this is the best idea I've had for dinner," said Sam as he grabbed one of the tempura rolls, "Next time I say we go to a yakiniku place."

"Oh, my goodness yes!" cried Jeremy, "I am down for that!"

Niya sighed. "You guys are going to make me gain weight with all of this food—it's so good, but so unhealthy!"

"That's why we walk, Niya," joked Sam, "To lose the weight I make you all gain."

Jeremy lay back in his seat and looked up at the ceiling; he had a whimsical look on his face.

"What's up, Jeremy?" asked Alyssandra as she watched her friend dream into the sky.

"I'm thinking on the advice that Eli—"

Sam slammed his heel down on Jeremy's toe, and after a quick yelp and Sam's short apology, Jeremy continued, this time watching what he said.

"That _Sam_ gave me today," stressed Jeremy as he stared hard at Sam, "He told me to follow my dreams and become a Pokémon Ranger…I think I'm going to."

"Really?" asked Alyssandra, "Congratulations! Are you finally going to tell your parents?"

Jeremy nodded. "Yeah, but I'm not going to become a Ranger just yet," he said, "I want to wait. I want to travel with you guys through Sinnoh, but once you finish the Grand Festival and Sam beats the Pokémon League, I'll go take the test and enter the profession."

"Why so long?" asked Niya, "If that's what you want to do, go now!"

"I can't," said Jeremy, shaking his head, "There's so much I want to see before I become tied down with this. I want to see you guys succeed, and I want to continue our adventures, but I promise myself that I'll go become a Ranger after."

"You better actually do it," threatened Niya, lightly though, "If you're the only one here that doesn't realize your dream I'm going to hurt you. Even if I have to write your test _for_ _you_ , you're going to become a Ranger."

Jeremy laughed. "Don't worry," he said soothingly, "If I don't realize my own dream I'll hurt myself."

Everyone laughed again and continued their dinner.

Sam knew at that dinner that a victory for one was a victory for all in this "family" of theirs, and that's what Sam loved about these people he called friends.


	24. 22 - On to Route 205

~ Chapter 22 ~

On to Route 205

" _Route 205 was great to see once more. We didn't get a chance to see it that well last time we were here. All we saw was the scenery pass us by, and the possibility of Team Galactic getting away with their plans for the Valley Windworks. I still remember the starry night we spent on Route 205 that day. We had a nice talk like we used to. I remember the times we used to spend laying out under the stars at the top of Old Man's Hill—called so because it used to be the home of a cranky old man who died when he fell down the hill (so the story goes anyway)—back home. It was nostalgic, and it was good time to spend bonding. We hadn't had a talk like that since we were kids back in Twinleaf Town…we all remembered the promise we made that night long ago…"_

Jeremy threw his bags down on the hilltop and then threw himself down beside them. "If I walk one more step today I'm going to fall apart," he groaned in pain, "I mean it."

"Agreed," sighed Alyssandra as she massaged her legs.

"All right, we'll rest here for tonight," said Sam, placing his bag down. He grabbed his water bottle from his bag and threw back his head as he emptied the remaining half a bottle, "I'm as tired as you guys."

Sam threw the bottle down by his bag and lay back in the grass, stretching out his body. He let out a groan of relaxation as he relieved the tension from his muscles and his shoulders where the bag had cut tracks into his skin.

The four of them lay back in the grass, looking up at the purple sky. The sun was sinking down below the clouds, and the first few stars could be seen in the middle of the night sky. It was like someone had pierced through the fog of daylight, and for a brief moment a glimpse of the night sky could be seen through the small window that was created.

"It's beautiful," said Alyssandra in amazement.

"Yeah, the whole Route 205 is," added Niya, "It's just too bad it's so long, and so full of hills. The walking wouldn't take so long if we weren't constantly changing elevation. It's like we're in a plane with an amateur pilot."

"When did Sam get his pilot's license?" asked Jeremy.

Sam let out a sarcastic laugh but returned his attention to the night sky. He really did agree with Niya; the sky was beautiful, as was the whole route.

Sam had only heard stories about Route 205, and how amazingly beautiful it was, he was happy to hear that they were all true.

"All right well," said Sam as he broke the serenity of the moment, "Camp won't set itself up, come on."

"Do we _have_ to set up camp?" asked Jeremy.

"Yeah, because I'd like to sleep somewhere comfortable," said Sam simply as he stood up.

"I agree with Jeremy," said Alyssandra, "I say we sleep out under the stars! We ate a few hours ago at the rest stop down the road, and it's just so beautiful out! We should just get our sleeping bags and pillows and lie out in the field, like we used to on our 'camping trips' to Old Man's Hill back in Twinleaf Town, you remember?"

Sam smiled softly as the memories came back to him. The four of them would sneak out after dark and meet on top of the hill. They'd start a fire and tell ghost stories under their flashlights, and then they'd roast marshmallows and pass out by the fire with their sleeping bags around them, huddled together for warmth.

Sam also remembered how their parents would find them the next morning and carried them home still asleep.

"All right, fine," he yielded, "We'll do it—but at least set up one tent just in case it rains—you never know. I'll start the fire."

Alyssandra groaned but consented. Sam had a point—as accurate as the Pokétch Weather App was, it was still as faulty as anything else in the world.

The group stood up and unpacked the large tent that was strapped to Niya's backpack. Sam, with the help of Prinplup, Staravia and Luxio, gathered up sticks and twigs from all over, trying to get enough wood to build a fire. After an hour of labour, the fire was built, and the tent was set up towards the far end of camp.

The group lay around the fire in a square pattern, once more looking up at the night sky.

"Do you remember how we used to try to find constellations when we were kids?" laughed Niya, "And we failed so bad that we'd just invent our own."

"Like the Ekans fighting a Zizagoon?" laughed Sam, "It was actually the Ursaring Major and a few other, unrelated stars that we saw."

"Do you remember the time we thought that Cassiopeia was a brand-new constellation? We called it the Wurmple!"

Jeremy let out a laugh. "I'll admit, I must take fault for that one," he said, "I was a foolish little child…"

Sam waved his hand. "We all were, remember?" he gave a chuckle, "Remember that game we all used to play as kids? And I used to pretend I was a long-lost prince of some kingdom, and that my parents were king and queen from a long, and noble line."

"You would make up any excuse to hide the truth about your parents, I remember," said Alyssandra, but only afterwards realized that she had said the wrong thing, "I mean…oh, Sam I'm so sorry! I didn't mean it!"

"It's all right," said Sam softly, "I had to come to terms with the truth eventually. Luckily that sooner was about eight years ago."

Sam let out a light-hearted laugh but knew—just like everyone else—that it was only masking the pain inside.

"Hey! Do you remember our wishing star?" asked Niya, hoping to change the subject, "The one we always used to wish on when we were kids?"

"Yeah!" piped in Jeremy, seeing what Niya was getting at, "You start at the southern-most star of Sirius, the Mightyena, and it's the second star to the left."

"Straight on till morning?" added Sam jokingly.

"Hm?" asked Jeremy, confused as to what Sam meant.

"Never mind," said Sam simply, "I remember the last wish I made on that star."

"Really? What'd you wish for?" asked Niya curiously as she rolled over onto her stomach to watch Sam.

"I wished I could see my grandfather one last time…so that he could see me after I've become Sinnoh League Champion and be proud of me."

"Oh Sam," said Niya gently, "If my beliefs on the afterlife are true, he's watching you right now, and he's prouder of you than ever!"

Sam smiled gently. "Thank you, but that was nine years ago," Sam let out a laugh, "I was young and in pain—but I do appreciate the attempt at consolation."

Niya shrugged. "Any time," she winked, "Well, I also remember what I last wished for on this star. I wished I'd get to see you guys again. This was a few months ago—I hadn't seen you in forever, and I was so busy training with my Aunt Fantina that I wasn't able to make my annual summer trip to Twinleaf. Who knew that wish would come true."

Alyssandra nodded and stared up the stars with a disconnected look on her face. "I wished for love," she said slowly, "It still hasn't come true though. I think the star might be faulty."

"Oh sure, blame the star," said Niya, a sly look on her face, "For all we know it could just be the guy who's faulty."

"Well, I wished to be friends with you guys forever, and so far, it hasn't done me wrong," said Jeremy proudly, "I like the simple wishes, but simple is better. Besides, I can't lose you guys, we've been friends too long."

"That and you—like us—have no other friends, huh?" asked Sam.

"Yeah, that doesn't hurt the love between us," chortled Jeremy, "But seriously; I don't know what I'd do without you guys. You girls are the sisters I've never had, and Sam you're the brother I've always wanted."

"But don't you have…?" started Alyssandra, but she shut her mouth and decided not to push the subject.

"Well, and I'm sure Niya can agree with me here, you are _all_ the siblings we've never had," said Sam.

Niya let out a small laugh, knowing full well that he had hit the nail on the head.

"And you?" asked Jeremy, "What are we to you, Alyssandra?"

"I have like fifty siblings already, I don't need more," she shrugged, "You can all be my cousins—I need more of those anyway."

"Cousins? You treat us like your children," added Sam sarcastically.

Alyssandra looked over at him. "Only because you act like infants!" she said defensively.

"Yeah well…all right fair enough," said Sam in defeat.

After a long pause of silence, Jeremy spoke again. "Hey, do you guys remember the promise we made on that star right before Niya moved away?" he asked.

Sam nodded, "Yeah…" he said nostalgically, remembering it. It was their last "camping trip" to Old Man's Hill.

"We promised that we'd all go on a Pokémon Journey together one day," said Alyssandra, tears of happiness from the memories wetting her eyes, "And we'd travel high and low—all over—until we grew old, and then we'd all die together, and we'd be friends until the end and beyond."

"Glad to know we kept it," said Sam.

The rest of the night remained silent until they fell asleep. All through that silence all Sam could think about was their journey together, so far and in the future. Sam knew—something deep down in his heart told him so—that they were going to fulfil their promise.

They were going to travel everywhere, see everything, and they were going to do it together. And then in the end, they were going to die together, just like they said. It only made sense; they took their first steps together onto Route 202, and so in death they would do the same.

Sam rolled over in his sleeping bag when he finally fell asleep, a tear rolling down his cheek as he did. He was lucky to have these friends; otherwise he didn't know how he'd have gotten this far.


	25. 23 - Fuego Ironworks

~ Chapter 23 ~

Fuego Ironworks

" _The foothills of Route 205 are filled with natural iron deposits. Floaroma Town makes good use of these deposits and has them refined by the Fuego Ironworks; even Oreburgh City uses Fuego Ironworks too. I never thought that a place like this existed; it would've been perfect for a day of training. I learned something that day—NEVER, and I mean NEVER, trust an Ambipom. They're crafty little things—and they're all devils I tell you! Anyway, enough of that, I don't want to spend too much time on the unimportant things, but I'll say one last thing about our travels to the Fuego Ironworks. The only thing that burned hotter than the flames that day, was the dedication we all showed while trying to get back our Pokédexes."_

Sam ran down the path, the others close behind him. He could see the two Ambipom running down towards the river ahead, and Sam dashed as fast as he could to try and catch the two Pokémon.

Earlier today two Ambipom who had tried to steal their Pokédexes had woken the group up.

Sam managed to stop them from getting Jeremy's, and Niya kept hers safe, but his and Alyssandra's were now in the hands of the two, thieving monkey Pokémon.

"Come back here!" shouted Jeremy, still tugging his jacket on.

"Pika, Pika!" cried Pikachu.

The small mouse Pokémon had spent the past few days in its Poké Ball, having been tired out from the fray with Team Galactic at the Windworks. It was still a young Pikachu after all.

The group stopped at the river and watched as the two Ambipom ran across a narrow log, crossing the river, and headed towards a large, redbrick building with smoke rising from large smokestacks.

"Woah hold up," said Sam, raising his hand as the group stopped by the river.

"Why are you stopping?" asked Alyssandra frantically, "We need to catch them!"

"The river's too wide to cross, and probably too deep. No point rushing across the log, it's too narrow for us and we'll just fall in," said Sam simply, looking down at the river, scanning it from left to right.

Alyssandra skidded to a halt but refused to give up there. "Go Cherubi!" she cried, tossing the Poké Ball up into the air.

The Pokémon shot out in a burst of red light and materialized beside its Trainer. "Use Magical Leaf, Cherubi! Get those Ambipom!" cried Alyssandra in a flurry.

Cherubi prepared its attack but stopped midway. Instead it glowed a bright white, and before Alyssandra could understand what was going on, it had evolved into a Cherrim. Alyssandra looked down in awe at her Pokémon. Shock covered her face; though she was proud and happy, she had not expected her Pokémon to evolve after her first command.

"Wow…" said Alyssandra slowly.

Her Cherrim looked up at her, though most of its face was hidden beneath deep purple leaves, and a curved green stem. The Pokémon looked like a purple bell with a mouth and legs sticking out from beneath.

The mouth smiled up at Alyssandra. "Cherrim!" it cried happily.

Remembering her pride for her Pokémon, Alyssandra picked it up and hugged it close to her. "I never expected you to evolve, Cherrim!" she said happily,

"Congratulations!" Niya watched the scene with disbelief, but soon regained her collected composure, "It seems all of the work you put into Cherrim over the past few days and during the contest paid off."

"The only thing I don't get," said Alyssandra as she held her Cherrim out to look at it, "Is why my Cherrim looks so different from the others I've seen? It has no pink flowers or red little berry-things on it."

"I read somewhere that Cherrim change form depending on the weather—though it's not the only Pokémon that does so," replied Niya as she examined the Cherrim closely, "From what I saw in the book, depending on the amount of sunlight available, the Cherrim either looks like this—known as the Overcast Form—and the form you were expecting—known as the Sunshine Form. It would appear that there's not enough sunlight yet for this Cherrim to reach Sunshine Form."

"Oh," said Alyssandra as she pulled her Cherrim close to her again, "Well I'm still proud of you anyway, Cherrim."

"I'm all proud for you guys," said Jeremy suddenly, "But those two Ambipom escaped; just thought I'd mention that."

"Jeremy's right," added Sam, "They headed towards that building."

Sam pointed towards the red building with the smoking chimneys. "So, what do we do? Chase after them?" asked Alyssandra, her Cherrim wriggling happily in her arms.

"No, the river's too wide and deep here, and we can't make it across that log, Like I said, we're too big," said Sam analytically.

"We also can't leave the camp alone like that," said Jeremy, "Otherwise more of our things might go missing."

"How about Jeremy and I head back to camp?" suggested Niya, "It was your Pokédexes they stole, not ours. You should go after them; call us if you need us though."

Sam nodded. "Sounds good," he said, "I'll page Jeremy with the Pager App if we need you guys."

"All right, good luck you two," said Jeremy, "Come on Niya."

With that, Jeremy and Niya ran back up the hill towards camp, while Sam looked left and right, down either end of the river, looking for a place to cross.

"When did you guys get a Pager App?" asked Alyssandra, returning her Cherrim to its Poké Ball, "I didn't even know they made those."

"Jeremy and I picked it up back in Jubilife City when we were there," answered Sam, motioning for Alyssandra to follow him down the river to the right, "We figured they'd come in handy. Mr. Rockford gifted them to us as prototypes when we went back to go see him."

"Where were Niya and I when we were getting these freebies?" asked Alyssandra, slightly affronted by being left out.

"You two were getting facials," said Sam, smiling for the first time all day, "Besides there were only two prototypes, and we got them first."

"Jeez, hurtful," joked Alyssandra, smiling sarcastically as she did.

The rest of the trip went silently, and as they kept going down the river, the large building on the other side grew closer and closer.

Finally, the two stopped near a small fork in the river. Sam could see a log draped across the river, and the rocks that sat at the bottom of what was now a creek.

"Here, this is the shallowest point," said Sam, "We can cross the log if you don't want to get your feet wet, or just walk across these stones here. The water's only an inch or two deep; at the most."

Alyssandra looked between the creek and the log, and firmly walked towards the log. "I'll take my chances with this overgrown stick here," she said, "You can have your creek."

Sam laughed and shrugged, then simply walked across the shallow water to the other side and waited patiently as Alyssandra fumbled her way across the log. Half way across however, she stumbled, and fell over into the creek, becoming soaked by the water than ran there.

Sam instinctively ran in after her, and though the water was shallow, he rushed to her aid, knowing full well that if she hit her head on a rock it could be dangerous.

"Are you okay?" asked Sam as he pulled Alyssandra up out of the water. Alyssandra threw her hair behind her shoulders and looked down at her soaked clothes.

"I think so," she said, "A little bruised on my left knee from the rocks, but I'll be fine. Thank goodness none of my Poké Balls fell loose or broke—and I can't even imagine how disappointed I'd be if my bag or anything in it got wet. I'm glad I left it back at the camp."

Sam nodded. "Yeah, that would be disastrous," he said looking at Alyssandra. It was then that Sam realized he was holding her hand, and she was holding his.

Sam looked down at their two hands, interlocked, as did Alyssandra, and then back up at Alyssandra. Then, realizing that they had been holding on a bit too long,

Sam and Alyssandra quickly let go and turned away from each other. "Come on, let's go," said Sam, trying to get over the awkwardness of the situation passed.

Alyssandra nodded silently and followed, also trying to forget the moment. As they walked towards the large building, Sam noticed Alyssandra shivering as a breeze began to blow over the field.

"Here," said Sam, being as chivalrous as he could, "Take my jacket."

Sam removed his jacket and placed it on Alyssandra's shoulders. "Don't even bother arguing," said Sam quickly, smiling at Alyssandra as he walked past her, "I'm stubborn—too stubborn to take no for an answer."

Alyssandra opened her mouth, but quickly shut it again, smiling as Sam and her kept walking towards what Alyssandra now thought was a factory.

The two young Trainers stopped when they reached the large iron door.

"Should we go in?" asked Alyssandra timidly, "I don't know what to expect."

Sam placed his hand up on the door. "There's only one way to know," he said, "Come on."

Sam pushed open the large door and came face to face with a blast of heat. All he could see was thick copper pipes, large loud machinery, and assembly lines that glowed orange with molten metal.

Hammers, both mechanical and manpowered, hammered into the metal as it moved along the line. Several men in jumpsuits and hardhats with heavy boots walked the factory.

Sam had no idea what this place was, but it was loud, and it was definitely a factory.

"Hey!" cried a loud, deep voice to Sam's left, "What are you two doing here?"

A large man with a round belly and thick muscled arms ran towards Sam and Alyssandra. His grey moustache twitched as his upper lip moved with his speech, and his cheeks were adorned with stubble that looked like salt and pepper mixed together.

He had long grey hair and thick grey eyebrows, the former of which was slicked back and tucked beneath his yellow hard hat.

"Visitors are allowed by appointment _only_ ," he said, "We can't just let you guys in here during work hours to train—it's dangerous!"

Sam looked up at the large man. "I'm Sam Accardi, sir," he said, "And this is Alyssandra De Rossi. We're travelling Trainers, and we're camped nearby, but this morning two wild Ambipom stole my and Lyss's Pokédexes, and now we need to get them back."

"They ran over this way, towards the building here," added Alyssandra slowly, "We were hoping to find them in here—we actually had no idea what this place was."

The tall man eyed the two with his hard eyes, the finally let out a smile. "An Accardi huh?" he said, "I know your Uncles. They supply me with the Pokémon from their Ranch for use in our factory! Welcome the Fuego Ironworks!"

"The Fuego Ironworks?" asked Alyssandra, "What's that?"

"I've heard of you guys," said Sam pensively, "I remember seeing your name on an order once. You guys refine the metal from Oreburgh City and the nearby hills around Floaroma Town and Route 205, right?"

"That we do," nodded the man, "Your uncles mentioned you once actually, and said you were smart as a whip, glad to see they were right."

The man held out his gloved hand for Sam and Alyssandra to shake. "Name's Rort," said the man as Sam and Alyssandra shook his hand in response.

His grip was firm, and rough from the worn leather of the glove, but Sam knew he meant no harm. The man dabbed at his forehead with a dirtied handkerchief and then looked at the two kids.

"Come up to my office," he said, "It's hot down here, we'll get somewhere cool and quiet, then we can discuss your little Ambipom problem."

Sam and Alyssandra followed Rort along the edge of the factory and up a set of stairs to a sheet metal room that stood on stilts high above the factory, looking down on the workers below.

Sam noticed that as they walked through the heat filled factory, Alyssandra's clothes began to dry much more quickly, and her hair was almost completely dry again as well.

When the two of them finally reached the office, the thick heat was replaced by a wall of cool air, pumped in by vents in the ceiling.

Rort sat the two kids down across from his desk, in two worn out pleather seats that looked like they had been there for decades. "Now," said Rort as he sat himself down in his chair and threw his helmet on the desk with a thud, "You say your personal effects were taken by a pair of Ambipom right?"

Rort threw his gloves off into the helmet and kicked his feet up on the desk.

Sam nodded, but Alyssandra answered. "We were woken up because these two Ambipom snuck into our camp and stole our stuff," said Alyssandra.

"I managed to stop them from taking our two friends' Pokédexes, but in doing so I was unable to stop them from taking mine and Lyss's," added Sam, sighing a bit as he did.

"I tried to chase them down, but they brought us to a river and we had to pause and cross at a narrower, shallower area," said Sam, almost sadly even, "It held us up, but all we remember is seeing those two Pokémon running towards this building."

Rort scratched his chin and thought for a moment. Just as fast as he had sat down, he shot back up. "I think I've seen these two Ambipom you're looking for," he said, "They usually come by here around midday, every day. We feed them the scraps of our lunches and let them play out back in the scrap yard."

"Scrap yard?" asked Alyssandra, "Why does a metal factory need a scrap yard?"

"When we're unhappy with something we make, and we're in no particular rush to make it, we'll throw it out back," explained Rort, "We waist no metal here! Anything that we don't like eventually gets scrapped; then we we're short on metal ore we melt that scrap down and reuse it. Genius no?"

The recycling factor of this factory didn't matter to Sam, but he nodded politely, trying to help the situation by getting friendly with Rort.

"Do you think you could show us the scrap yard?" asked Sam, "Maybe the two Pokémon are there."

Rort nodded, and without another word, threw on his gloves and helmet and walked Sam and Alyssandra down the stairs and through the heart of the factory.

Sam could see moulds of every kind, forming all sorts of shapes, from pipes to tools; to something that Sam didn't even know what they were.

As Rort neared the back of the factory, a loud shout—louder than the machinery—sounded from the scrap yard out back.

Sam and Alyssandra ran towards the back, with Rort following close behind.

Exiting the factory, Rort, Sam and Alyssandra saw Jeremy chasing around the two Ambipom, while avoiding metal scrap piles everywhere.

"Sam, catch!" cried Jeremy as he threw something in his direction.

Sam raised his hands, and his Pokédex fell into his hands. "Hey, this is mine!" cried Sam, "Wait, what are you doing here?"

"And where's Niya?" asked Alyssandra.

"What in the hell is going on here?" asked Rort lastly and loudly.

"These two came back to the camp," said Jeremy, pausing between dodges and sprints, "Niya's there now. I followed these little buggers here. Had to jump the fence to get in here. Got your Pokédex back, and now I'm trying to get mine."

"What about mine?" called Alyssandra.

"They've still got it!" retorted Jeremy as he dodged a flying pipe.

"Do you know this boy?" asked Rort, still confused about the situation.

"Yes," said Sam, "He's a friend of ours. We left him back at the camp but—well apparently he chased the Ambipom here."

"Hey!" cried Alyssandra suddenly.

Sam wheeled around and saw that an Ambipom had run by Alyssandra and stolen her Poké Ball belt.

"That's it!" roared Jeremy, "I'm going to battle these guys! Go Luxio!"

Jeremy's Luxio, now well fed and in its prime, was sent out from its Poké Ball, ready to battle one of the Ambipom.

Alyssandra instinctively reached for her Poké Balls but frowned as she remembered they had just been stolen.

Sam instantly thrust one of his Poké Balls into her hands. "Don't ask, just battle!" instructed Sam, "You can do it! Get your Pokémon back!"

Alyssandra froze, feeling naked without her Pokémon, almost like she couldn't battle. But the reassuring smile on Sam's face gave her courage, and she took the Poké Ball happily, and threw it.

Sam's Luxio appeared from the red light, and Alyssandra—remembering its attacks—was prepared.

Jeremy sent his Luxio onto a scrap pile beside his opponents, his Ambipom jumping back and forth on the spot, bouncing like a child on too much sugar. "Luxio, use Bite on Ambipom!" cried Jeremy.

His Luxio, sharp as ever, pounced lightly from its feet and leaped towards its opponent. But Ambipom was too fast and unleashed a Double Hit on Luxio without even moving.

Luxio was sent flying back, but landed on its feet and skidded backwards, glaring up at Ambipom as it still bounced back and forth.

"Try a Spark attack Luxio!" commanded Jeremy quickly.

Jeremy hoped to catch the Ambipom off guard and hit it with an attack that it couldn't counter, but the Ambipom jumped from the scrap pile it stood on to another one, causing the Electric attack to dissipate into the metal tubing and scrap.

Jeremy and his Luxio stood there still, watching as the Ambipom eyed them from its hopping position. Jeremy knew the Ambipom, foolish as it acted, was smart, and sought to tire out Luxio before it defeated him, but the last attack gave Jeremy an idea.

"Luxio, charge in at Ambipom and use your Bite attack again!" called Jeremy.

Luxio nodded and did as it was told without question. As the Luxio neared its mark, Ambipom prepared a Double Hit again, its two tails glowing a light blue colour, ready to strike.

Jeremy smile. "Luxio, stop and use your strongest Spark on the metal pile!" Luxio stopped, kicking up some dust as it did, and unleashed a powerful Electric attack into the metal; Ambipom, still in place from when it prepared to counterattack Luxio.

The electricity was amplified, carried, and extended by the metal that conducted it as easily as water would flow through a cloth. The Ambipom fell forward on its knee as the electricity wore off, and Jeremy took the opportunity to throw a Poké Ball at the Pokémon.

The Poké Ball absorbed Ambipom in a flash of red light and shook violently as the Pokémon fought hard for its freedom.

Meanwhile, Alyssandra began her fight with her Ambipom.

This Ambipom was much more active than the one Jeremy fought, moving around the scrap yard in order to avoid Sam's Luxio's attacks.

It stayed away from the metal, almost knowing that it would be dangerous for it, and it would hide behind rocks and other pieces of metal if Luxio came towards it with any kind of attack.

Even Luxio's Iron Tail was ineffective if it missed its mark, which it had several times already.

Alyssandra knew that if she didn't start striking at the Ambipom soon, and landing her attacks, Luxio would be too tired to keep battling and Ambipom would probably run off.

Gritting her teeth, Alyssandra prepared to plan out her strategy. "Luxio, run towards Ambipom, and use Tackle when you reach it!" shouted Alyssandra.

Sam watched with raised eyebrows as Alyssandra chose this manoeuvre. He had no idea what she was planning, but to him it seemed like it would only tire Luxio out more if she didn't land an attack.

"Luxio!" cried the Pokémon, and it dashed towards Ambipom at its top speed.

Ambipom laughed its Pokémon laugh, and ran around the yard, with Luxio close behind it. Ambipom finally ducked behind a large piece of metal that Sam thought was once a boiler.

"Luxio, use Iron Tail!" cried Alyssandra, "Hit the metal hard!"

Sam still couldn't figure out what Alyssandra was doing, but remained silent, knowing that the answer would appear soon.

The Iron Tail struck the hard metal boiler but failed to break through. Alyssandra smiled slyly and reacted quickly. "Now quickly, use Spark and channel it through your tail!" Luxio unleashed a mighty roar and a burst of electricity, sending it into its tail and then through the boiler.

The Ambipom, who was unfortunate enough to be inside during the attack was electrocuted and fell out of the boiler unconscious.

Alyssandra reached into Sam's pocket of the jacket she was still wearing and pulled out a Poké Ball. She pressed the middle button, and the Poké Ball grew to its regular size and filled her hand.

Alyssandra tossed the Poké Ball, and the Ambipom was absorbed by it.

The Poké Ball barely rocked before it beeped and signified that the Pokémon had been caught.

Alyssandra cheered and ran to pick up her Poké Ball, grabbing her Pokédex and Ball belt as she did. "I caught an Ambipom!" she cried, "And I think I was better with your Luxio than you are Sam, if I do say so myself."

Sam rolled his eyes and laughed. "In your dreams," he joked.

Jeremy cheered from somewhere over to Sam's left, and came bounding around a pile of scrap metal with a Poké Ball in his hand as well. "I got an Ambipom too!" he said happily, "And I got our Pokédexes back; it's a good day now."

The celebrations were cut short as the two Luxio began to glow softly. They shone a bright white, and when the light broke, two Luxray stood in their places.

"Luxray!" cried Jeremy's new Luxray.

"Ray! Luxray, Lux!" responded Sam's Luxray to no one in particular.

After congratulating their Pokémon on a job well done and giving them some moral support for and complimenting their evolution, Sam and Jeremy returned their Pokémon to their respective Poké Balls.

Rort looked down at the three kids and watched silently as Alyssandra returned Sam's jacket and Luxio—which had been returned to its Poké Ball—and smiled lightly as the three argued about Alyssandra's victory while using Sam's Luxio.

Rort let out a laugh like rolling thunder and slapped his stomach. "Look at you," he said beaming down on them, "I haven't seen a battle like that since my youth. I'll tell you, it brings back a lot of dear memories to me."

Sam slid his jacket on and smiled up at Rort. "Rort, thank you for helping us," he said, "I don't think we'd have been able to find these Pokémon without your help."

"Sure, we would!" protested Jeremy, "I would have followed these little buggers here—"

"—and we would've been arrested for trespassing," finished Alyssandra, her eyebrow raised and her hands on her hips.

Jeremy remained silent, and the conversation turned back to Rort.

"Well, the boy's got a point," laughed the large man, "But I take your thanks anyway! Look, you kids keep working hard; I want to see you all become Champion!"

"Actually, sir, I'm a Coordinator," replied Alyssandra sheepishly.

"And I want to be a Pokémon Ranger," said Jeremy, much more confidently than Alyssandra, "Sam's the only one who wants to be Champion."

Rort looked down at Sam with a bright smile. "Well then that goes for you, Sam!" said Rort, "I expect great things from you all though! Jeremy, boy, you better become a Pokémon Ranger, and a darn good one! And Alyssandra, I'll come watch you in the Grand Festival, I want you to become Top Coordinator!"

Alyssandra blushed nervously. "Thank you, Rort," she said, "I appreciate the support."

"Now, you had best be off," said Rort, "I can imagine your other friend who's watching the camp won't like being left out on the fun for much longer."

Sam laughed. "Niya? Fun?" asked Sam, "She's Queen of the Kill Joys."

"No, Sam," sighed Jeremy, patting Sam on the shoulder, "She's only the Queen of Killing _Your_ Joy."

Sam groaned. "Don't I know it," he complained falsely, knowing full well it was a sarcastic joke.

Rort simply laughed again, and escorted the kids to the door, saying his goodbyes once more and watching while the three of them returned to the river and crossed back over—chuckling to his self as Alyssandra fell in again—and vowing to never forget these young children who showed such great promise as Trainer, Coordinator, and Ranger.

Today would be a day that no one forgot.


	26. 24 - Battle Royale, Part 2

~ Chapter 24 ~

Battle Royale, Part 2

" _We continued to travel along Route 205. As we passed by the rolling hills, we eventually reached a wide-open field of grass. It wasn't much higher than our knees, but when the wind blew across the field, it looked like a green ocean of emeralds. Eventually we reached a Pokémon Centre where we had another battle—unfortunately this one wasn't a three-way battle as before. Due to my sudden illness, it was only Jeremy and Alyssandra fighting that day, but it really did give me something to think about after. These battles, that we continued to have for the rest of our travels, helped us prove to each other how far we'd come since the last battle, and how far we all had to go before we became masters. Let me tell you now, becoming the best doesn't come from skill alone, it comes from how hard you're willing to work and how much you're willing to put into your dreams."_

The group sat in the two-sided booth, enjoying their breakfast.

Niya had just returned to the table from the buffet with her breakfast and they were now enjoying a quiet meal together.

Everyone was tired from their late night last night, spent helping Nurse Joy batten down the hatches for the rainstorm that ended up keeping the group up half of the night. It came out of nowhere and left not a single trace of its being there save for debris and puddles, but it cut the power, causing the group to have to sleep with Nurse Joy in the lobby.

Sam still couldn't explain it; but he felt like the storm was connected to him somehow. Sam wanted to run out into the storm last night, without any reason; it worried him, but he kept his worries to himself.

Worst of all he had the same dream again, a dream that had recurred to him thousands of times in his life over the years, ever since Sam was old enough to remember his dreams.

These dreams cost him sleep often and would send him running to his grandparent's bedroom when he was younger or would keep him awake with thoughts and questions when he was older.

Last night, the dream was the same as always, if not more vivid than before.

Suddenly, Sam felt himself transported elsewhere just by thinking about it, as if he had left the table, and he was once more in his dream.

He was walking through a thick, white mist; a fog so thick that even his own hand was a shadow in front of his face. Sam could tell there were trees, he heard them as every so often a small breeze would blow through their branches, but wouldn't clear the fog away, and once and a while they appear in Sam's path, only for Sam to pass through them like a ghost.

Sam kept walking, not even conscious that he was doing so, and realized that he _wasn't_ walking; he was being pulled by something invisible, something that wanted him to follow somewhere important.

Then, Sam was in a ruined hall—something that might've been the dining hall of a castle or manor once—and the mist was gone.

He looked around him and could see the sun and sky poke through holes in the ruined ceiling where burnt beams hung precariously over the stone floor. Windows were shattered all around him, and most of the walls had crumbled away from age and decay.

Whatever this place was it was in ruin for many long years before Sam had arrived.

There was a clicking noise, and Sam wheeled around, looking for someone. Nothing was there, nothing but a squirrel.

Sam sighed, but no sooner had he let his guard down did the trap door open beneath his feet—just like always—and he fell down into darkness.

Sam fell for what felt like an eternity before finally hitting warm sand, somewhere in the darkness. Sam called out, yelling into the darkness but no sound came out of his mouth. Then, everything lit up as the ceiling was pulled away with a loud creak of chains.

Sam was standing in a black dome and the night sky was staring down on him, with a full moon that seemed to fill him with an unknown strength and stars that glittered like hundreds of watchful eyes.

Then, a loud rumble, and the black obsidian walls of the dome shook, and out came a large, winged dragon.

The thing shone like the stars, flames and light reflecting off its iron-thick scales that were as black as the obsidian that comprised the dome.

The dragon was different than the ones Sam had heard fairy tales about as a child; this one seemed…human, almost sentient even.

Sure, Sam had heard stories that dragons were smart, but this one seemed more intelligent than a human.

The dragon moved slowly towards Sam, sniffing the air hungrily as it approached.

Sam gulped and tried to run, but he couldn't find it in his bones to do so. He tried to scream, but no sound came out.

Sam looked up fearfully at the dragon and watched as it raised itself to its full height.

Its wingspan seemed to almost spread across half the massive dome, and its large head was the size of a large Rapidash—two maybe.

It was old, but not too old as far as dragons were concerned, but definitely old enough to raze a small city to the ground in a few minutes. The dragon let out a deafening and ground-shaking roar, and as it lowered its head, it let loose a white flame over Sam and everything went black, the flames engulfing him.

Sam's eyes shot opened, and he realized he had fallen asleep again and everyone was staring at him.

"Are you okay?" asked Jeremy as he watched Sam cautiously.

"Yeah, I'm fine," shrugged Sam, "Just tired, that's all. Why do you ask?"

"Well, you were muttering something in your sleep," said Niya gently, "We couldn't really understand it—we think it was some kind of weird language but…it doesn't sound like anything we've ever heard before. It could've been anything, really."

"I'm fine, just a little tired. Drifted off into a daydream, that's all," said Sam assuredly, "I don't remember muttering anything. I didn't say anything while I was daydreaming."

In this Sam was truthful, though he was not okay and was thoroughly freaked out, he _didn't_ remember muttering in his dream, either him or something else.

In fact, as far back as Sam could remember he never remembered muttering, let alone in another language.

"So, what was your dream then?" asked Alyssandra, eyeing Sam suspiciously.

"I beat the Pokémon League," he said simply; he knew very well how to lie to his friends by now, years of practice had helped, "I just defeated Valentina…and then the ground slid away, and I woke up."

Niya raised an eyebrow and looked at Jeremy and Alyssandra. The two of them shrugged, if they believed him or not, they didn't say, but they didn't press further into the matter.

Sam had never told anyone about this dream, nor did he ever plan to.

"So, what do you want to do today?" asked Sam, "The road's blocked up ahead because of the storm last night, so we'll be stuck here another night."

"We could go exploring?" suggested Niya, "Route 205 is vast, and there's so much here to see."

"Exploring sounds good," said Alyssandra with interest, "I want to know if there are more Eevee in the area."

"I don't know, Lyss," said Jeremy, "Eevee are pretty rare Pokémon to begin with; wild Eevee are almost impossible to find. I wouldn't bet on it."

Alyssandra frowned but didn't let it upset her. She expected that, but it didn't hurt to try. Ever since she had caught that Eevee the other day she had been fawning over it like it was her own child.

Sam still remembered it like it was yesterday.

A young Eevee wandered into camp, scared and alone—about a day after the group had left the Fuego Ironworks—Alyssandra instantly took a liking to it, and since then the two had been inseparable. Alyssandra even went and made it a permanent member of her team.

"We could call home?" suggested Jeremy as he bit down on a sausage, "Personally, I think it's been a while since we last spoke to our families; and I'd really like to see how my parents are doing."

"We can't," sighed Niya, "Storm knocked out the phone lines, it's amazing we have electricity back so soon. That storm even managed to overload the generator."

"Was the storm really that bad?" asked Jeremy in astonishment, "I mean, I know we were in it, but still. I'm surprised it wasn't a tornado or something."

"I know," said Alyssandra as she finished her breakfast, "It seems almost impossible that anyone wasn't hurt after all of that damage."

The rest of the conversation was blurred to Sam and disappeared into his subconscious as his mind went off into its own world again. The last thing Sam remembered anyone saying was Jeremy and Alyssandra discussing having another three-way battle again—four way this time with Niya involved.

As he fell into his own subconscious, Sam could tell he wasn't sleeping this time, simply running the dream over in his head.

What did it mean? Why the dragon, and why was it so large? Why the hell did it keep happening the same way? Why was it so real? What the hell were those ruins about? Sam's mind hurt with all of these questions…no, it wasn't the questions.

It was something else.

Something was rubbing against his mind, weighing it down like a stone; practically crushing it.

Sam's head swam with pain, and his vision blurred.

He fell over in his seat, leaning against Niya—not even realizing it.

Niya grabbed him, shook him, yelled something at him that was inaudible. Then the pain was gone, and Sam came back.

He was lying on the bench of the booth, everyone bent over him worried. He could hear them—just barely over the loud ringing in his ear—and sat up in his seat.

"What happened?" he groaned as he cracked his neck.

"You nearly passed out," said Alyssandra, "You fell onto Niya; you turned pale and clammy and looked really sickly. Then we laid you down and you woke up."

"Yeah, you looked really bad," said Jeremy, "More so than normal."

Jeremy let out a laugh, and Sam attempted to mimic it; feigning strength.

"I think I need to rest a bit," he said. Sam was stubborn, but not stupid. He didn't have the strength to keep going right now. He needed to lie down.

"I'll keep an eye on you," said Niya, "We'll take you up to one of the rooms; Nurse Joy will understand. Jeremy, Alyssandra, you can go battle yourselves, we're going to bow out for today."

"Are you sure we can't help you guys?" asked Alyssandra worriedly, "I'm sure I can do something to help his…whatever it is."

"No, no," smiled Niya, grabbing Sam under the shoulder and supporting him, "I'm sure he'll be okay. It won't take much; you go battle. We'll see you after."

Niya quickly led Sam from the dining hall without another word to Jeremy or Alyssandra.

Sam smiled at her. "Thanks," he said, "I need the rest."

"Don't thank me just yet," sighed Niya as she half dragged Sam towards the elevator, "Besides; I didn't buy any of those lies you gave us earlier. I want you to tell me what's going on, and I don't want another lie."

Jeremy and Alyssandra stood across from each other, while Pikachu sat on Jeremy's shoulder.

Lately Pikachu had been fickle about where it wanted to stay. It was either extremely for or against being out of its Poké Ball, and just a few moments ago had broken free and decided to sit on Jeremy's shoulder.

Though the fickleness of Pikachu sometimes wore on the groups' nerves, it was always nice to have someone extra to speak to when they travelled.

Jeremy and Alyssandra rushed around the field and readied it themselves, clearing off the branches and leaves that covered it. Though they did not have a referee this time, as Nurse Joy was busy trying to get the Pokémon Centre up and running again, it meant nothing to either of the two friends, who trusted each other not to cheat.

"All right, shall we make this a one on one?" asked Jeremy, "Not quite so much fun as a three-way double battle, but that wouldn't be much fun without Sam either."

Alyssandra nodded. "Yeah, I suppose," she said, drawing a Poké Ball from her belt, "I've made my choice then; do you know who you're using?"

Jeremy nodded, also grabbing a Poké Ball of his own. "Oh yeah," he smiled, "Go Grotle!"

"Grotle!" cried the large turtle Pokémon as it landed heavily on the ground.

The Pokémon slammed its heavy foot into the dirt, and bit down on the air in a strong nature.

Alyssandra, nervous as she was, was prepared herself for the fight, and as soon as she tossed the Poké Ball, she—much like in her contests—entered her focused state. "Go, Eevee!" she cried confidently.

As soon as Eevee landed lightly on its feet the battle began.

Jeremy attacked first, sending his Grotle in for a Tackle.

Alyssandra called for Eevee to dodge, and Grotle, large and slow as it was, skidded as it attempted to stop its Tackle, but was too slow to react to Eevee's next attack.

"Eevee, use Quick Attack!" commanded Alyssandra.

Eevee struck Grotle in the side, and the large Pokémon shook slightly, but if it took any major damage it didn't show.

Alyssandra was prepared for that though; the hard exterior of Grotle was good for deflecting attacks, and the differences in size between Grotle and Eevee meant that Grotle would have an easier time of hold its own against Eevee's attacks.

But prepared as Alyssandra was, it still frustrated her inside, knowing that she had made a terrible choice, only for the sake of bonding with Eevee through battle.

Still, she knew she had made a choice and that she must now stick with.

"Grotle, recover and use Razor Leaf!" called Jeremy.

This time it was Alyssandra who was caught off guard. Her Eevee was still in close proximity from the last attack, and Alyssandra forgot to recall it afterwards. At a farther distance, the Razor Leaf would be much easier to dodge, but at such a close range there wasn't as much reaction time, and Eevee was struck almost instantly, and sent flying back across the battlefield.

It stood up; however, at the call of Alyssandra's voice, and prepared to continue battling. "Okay, Eevee, let's step our game up," she told it, "Use Quick Attack and get close to it!"

Eevee nodded. "Eeveeeee!" it cried and dashed towards Grotle with all of its speed.

The small brown Pokémon ran, and ran, while Jeremy did his best to counter.

"Grotle, Razor Leaf on Eevee, knock it back!" he called.

But Grotle's Razor Leaf was too slow for Eevee, who dodged left and right to avoid the leaves that flew at it. Eevee finally reached Grotle, and Alyssandra quickly called another attack.

"Now, stop your attack and use Sand Attack!" she called.

Eevee nodded, and jumped, using its tails to flick sand into the eyes of Grotle.

The sand stung at the Pokémon's eyes and blinded it temporarily. Grotle's eyes were shut tight and it swung its head wildly to get the sand out.

"Grotle! Gro! Grotle!" cried the Pokémon desperately.

Alyssandra smiled as she unleashed her final move. "Eevee, use Tackle!" she called, "Full power!"

Eevee bent its body down and slammed itself into Grotle's forehead. There was a small pause after a loud cracking sound. The two Pokémon paused, head to head with each other, pain shooting through their bodies like a shockwave and their eyes shut and teeth gritted.

Then, Jeremy laughed, a small laugh, and calmly and coolly spoke. "Grotle, Absorb."

Grotle opened its eyes and a red light shot from its body and surrounded Eevee, and the Pokémon had its energy drained and transferred to Grotle.

Eevee fell back, and the attack ceased as it fell unconscious on the ground.

Grotle let out a magnificent cry of pride and stamped its feet brusquely into the dirt again.

Jeremy jumped and cheered his victory and ran down to hug his Grotle while Alyssandra cradled her unconscious Eevee in her arms and promised it did well, returning it to its Poké Ball with a deep gratitude.

"I'll admit," smiled Alyssandra as she looked up at Jeremy, "You got me there; I thought we actually had you."

"I've come a long way since our last battle, Lyss," said Jeremy as he and Grotle met Alyssandra halfway across the field, "We all have. I'll admit though, up until that last second you _did_ have me. I didn't think of anything while you were using your combination, but then just as your Tackle landed, it came to me. If it hadn't you'd probably have won."

Alyssandra and Jeremy shook hands but were cut off guard as Grotle let out another cry and was engulfed by a white light.

This time, they were prepared for this light, as they recognized it as the light of evolution. From the light burst a mighty Torterra, large and ground shaking as its feet caused shockwaves to rumble across the battlefield with each step.

Jeremy hugged his new Torterra, happy with its evolution, and after thanking it for a job well done, returned Torterra to its Poké Ball.

Sam watched eagerly from the window of his room. He hated having to miss the battle, but he knew he was in no state to command himself, let alone a Pokémon.

Though his queasiness and vertigo had improved, the ringing in his ears was still there, and the something that had brushed up against his mind before was still there…faintly, but not as painful as before—it still hurt though.

"So that's everything?" asked Niya, "Are you sure?"

Niya had been grilling Sam with questions ever since the two of them had arrived at their room.

Sam had only been half there when she started, and even now his mind was elsewhere even though the battle was over.

"Yeah," he said, "That's everything. I've never told anyone else before—and I hope you don't."

"You know I won't," said Niya with crossed arms, "That's why _I_ volunteered to bring you up here. I knew you would confide in me—just like that time at Café Etoile."

Sam laughed, weakly, but still a laugh. Niya was right, and he knew it, even if he didn't at first. "Fine, fair enough," he said calmly, "What do you think it means?"

Sam was hoping Niya, in her seemingly infinite experience and wisdom had the answer to this question. But when she shrugged and gave him a sad look, Sam's heart only deflated.

He couldn't have expected much, he supposed, but at the same time, he was hoping that _something_ would reveal itself to him, anything! It had only been about twelve years since these dreams started torturing him and his sleep cycle. It was only fair they gave him some sort of clue.

Sam sighed, life was rarely ever fair—or so he learned after his defeat at the hands of Team Galactic recently—and although these answers might never present themselves to Sam, all he could do was be patient.

Sam tore his mind from his troubles. "Come on," he said, using the nearby dresser to help himself up, "Let's go congratulate those two on a battle well done."

Niya looked at him with disdain. "You should rest," she said simply, "If what you tell me is true, you'll need your strength and your sleep."

"I can sleep after!" cried Sam protesting Niya's orders, "Just let me see them first, please? I will not be made an invalid because of this—not yet anyway."

Niya sighed and relented. "Fine, but hurry up," she said, "Or I'll forget about sending Lyss up here to care for you."

Sam simply laughed as he slowly made his way to the door. Niya always had a way of using words to make Sam feel better—no matter how hurtful others might take it.

Sam was grateful Niya had come along.


	27. 25 - The Coming Storm

~ Chapter 25 ~

The Coming Storm

" _I was right before, of course, when I said that our luck might just run out. That it did, and even sooner than this entry. After our stop at the last Pokémon Centre, I wasn't fully healed, and was still very sickly. The foolish, prideful boy I once was told my friends that I wasn't in need of a doctor or Nurse Joy, and we continued on Route 205. Alyssandra so loved the spring time and the wild Pokémon…she was like a child once more…it was the biggest mistake of my life to tell them I was all right, and to this day I wonder how different our lives would have been if I_ had _been truthful about how bad I felt…and at the same time, I wonder how much worse off we'd be if I had seen a doctor…_

The room was dark, but the screen lit up the man's face.

He was tall, he was gaunt, and he looked like he had seen years of disappointment and sadness. He had darkness in his eyes that seemed to emanate nothing but evil, and he gave a look that would strike fear in anyone, even the bravest of men.

Behind him stood two women, both in jumpsuits, one with red hair and the other with violet, while two men stood to his right. The first was tall, with long red hair, a crooked nose that looked as if it had been broken, rectangular glasses and a long lab coat, while the other had blue hair that curved into a semi-lunar shape facing the sky.

Behind them all was a much shorter man, slightly hunched and very deranged looking, staring hard at the screen through the darkness. He seemed to only be paying half of his attention towards what everyone else was, as his attention seemed to be spent bent over a laboratory table.

He hummed madly to himself as he worked, just low enough that only he would hear, but loud enough to cause the red-haired woman to yell back at him every so often to remain silent.

The entire group stared at the screen quietly, as if it was going to come to life and proclaim to them its infinite wisdom; but it was just a screen.

Instead, a shadowy figured appeared on the screen. Nothing could be seen of this figure but his eyes, which shone red like fire in the blackness.

"So," he said deeply, "What news of our plans?"

The moment the group had been waiting for had arrived, and the gaunt man stepped forward to speak. "My Lord," he said softly, "We have managed to gather the energy necessary—I am very proud to say—now it is only a matter of tracing down the ancient Pokémon."

"What is your plan for catching them?" asked the red-eyed man quickly. He cared not for long speeches but wished only for results.

"We will seek out the Guardians of the Lake first—with them we can forge the Red Chain," explained the gaunt man, "Our top Professor is here researching them as well speak; while the other is attempting to come up with a way for us to forge the Red Chain from the Pokémon we capture."

"And what of the dragons? And the Pokémon of Legend?" asked the shadowy figure, "It is them I want; it is them I _need._ I care not for these 'Guardians of the Lake.'"

"Yes, my lord," said the gaunt man nervously, "We are looking for them as well. As you know, the Red Chain is necessary for us to control them, and we have yet to discover their locations. Though we believe they may be located where the legends speak of; but we need more time to research the validity of these tales."

There was silence, and no one said anything, neither those in the room, or the man on the screen.

Finally, the man in the screen shifted in his seat and spoke in a deep voice, slowly but threatening. "You have not even discovered their locations?" asked the man, "And you dare call upon me? You disturb me with your petty news and you have nothing to show for it?"

There was a long pause of silence, and the shadowy man's voice returned to a normal tone and he relaxed in his chair.

"None the less," he said softly, "You still have your purpose…for now…and you should start becoming _more_ useful soon—or I _will_ replace you."

"Y-yes my Lord," for once the gaunt man showed a sign of fear instead of malicious evil, and for once he seemed vulnerable.

"My Lord what about the boy?" asked the red-haired woman, "And his friends?"

The Lord turned his attention towards the woman and let out a small smile. "So, he has become that much of a problem?" asked the man, "Or is it that your Team Galactic is so incompetent that you cannot defeat a simple child?"

There was nothing but silence.

"No matter, I am dealing with the boy," he spoke, "I have made several attempts to contact him…but the protective wards around him are too strong, and the messages do not transfer between us as well as I would have hoped…and his dreams return. I fear that soon they will signal his Coming of Age and it will be too late."

"Shall we deal with him my Lord?" asked the gaunt man, gaining his courage back.

The shadowy man chuckled. "No, that will not be necessary," he said simply, "I have devised a plan to deal with him. The storm the other day was just practice—this next one should divide him from his friends. Then I shall appear before him…if he is as big a threat as you say, then I shall kill him, and remove him as a thorn in my side—it'll save me the trouble of doing it later. If he isn't, I'll still kill him…and then I'll kill his friends…and then I'll replace you all for being incompetent. So, you had best hope that this boy is as strong as you say he is."

Everyone bowed low in that room. "Yes, my lord," they said, "We assure you that he is."

The shadowy figure simply grunted in displeasure and closed the conversation, leaving the room completely black, and filling it with even more silence then before.

Fear filled the gaunt man as darkness filled the room…he knew his position was delicate…and he knew that if he didn't' deal with that boy before his master got to him…even if he could just weaken him.

"Send out a search party to Eterna Forest," said the man as he walked towards the door, "I want them to scour the area for any signs of the boy and his friends. Have them weaken them and their Pokémon before our lord gets there."

The others replied with a definitive, "Yes sir!" and the gaunt man was gone with the whoosh of the door.

Alyssandra waltzed with carefree abandon as she floated through the flowers of Route 205. The group was getting closer to Eterna Forest, but they were in Alyssandra's favourite part of the route, the flower fields.

The breezes blew through here frequently, and every so often, groups of Drifloon and Drifblim would pass by, floating on the wind like so many lost balloons. Alyssandra was mesmerized.

Sam, Jeremy and Niya, meanwhile, were not as carefree, as Sam had to be supported by them while they walked.

His strength had come and gone since that day at the Pokémon Centre, and their travels had been increasingly slower than before because of it.

Despite constant demands by the others to go see a doctor, or even ask Nurse Joy to look at him, Sam refused, and demanded they push on towards Eterna City.

Unfortunately, as Niya pointed out often, Sam's illness had only posed another burden upon the group; but there was no arguing with Sam once he had made up his mind, that much they did know.

Niya looked over at Sam worriedly, biting down on her lip in an act of nervousness.

Sam looked to be getting worse. The cold sweat that had formed on his brown was now trickling down his face, and his hair was matted with a light layer of sweat. His eyes were heavily ringed as if he hadn't slept in weeks, and he looked very off colour.

"Sam, do you want to rest for a bit?" asked Niya.

Sam shook his head, "No…" he whispered, "Not now, please. Let's keep going."

Sam looked up and watched Alyssandra play with some passing Drifloon. She seemed to be enjoying herself, and the Drifloon seemed to enjoy her company.

Sam smiled, trying to manage a laugh, but only coughed instead. He fell to his knee, and Jeremy and Niya fell with him. The only thought on Sam's mind was how this spring weather turned Alyssandra into a frolicking child again.

Alyssandra always loved spring, all of the colours and sights and smells enthralled her and captivated her to no end.

Niya threw Sam's sleeping bag down onto the nearby grass and with Jeremy's help, laid Sam across it.

Sam protested as much as he could, but he couldn't stop them—he was too weak.

Niya dabbed at his cold forehead with a handkerchief she fished from Sam's bag, and commanded Jeremy to grab some water and boil it as fast as possible, using any means necessary.

"Lyss should be helping too," groaned Jeremy as he walked off towards the river a few hundred feet away.

Niya went to call her but Sam placed a shaking hand on her forearm. "No, leave her," explained Sam, "She loves the spring…it reminds her of all of the good things in life. Let her be happy for a bit."

Niya sighed as she did as Sam told her. "You really should've waited until you were well enough to travel, this could be dangerous."

Sam only laughed. "This is nothing," he coughed, "Just a cold—I'll be all right. It's one of those spring bugs that go around, hay fever probably. Nothing more."

Niya couldn't exactly agree with Sam; but even she didn't know what it was, and for all she knew he could've been right. It didn't calm her nerves completely, but it soothed them enough to allow her to continue her work without a second thought or doubt.

Once Jeremy boiled the water, Niya placed the handkerchief in the hot water, and the placed the wet piece of cloth on Sam's head.

He was freezing, and he needed some warmth to keep his body temperature normal, right now this was all Niya could do for it.

"We're setting up camp," she said quickly to Jeremy as she tucked Sam into his sleeping bag, "Get the tents set up—Lyss is exempt for now."

Niya looked up and Jeremy, then whispered into his ear as she leaned closer to him. "Sam doesn't want her working; says she should be left to enjoy the spring. But I also think she just needs to use this time to get her head off this thing with Sam," explained Niya, "It took her by surprise—hit her pretty hard, remember? She's been worried for days."

Jeremy nodded; the truth was it had hurt him to hear too. Sam was like a brother to everyone of this group; they were a family. When Sam hurt, they all hurt, and vice versa. Now Sam lay there, looking only half the person, he was before, and no one knew what it was that was causing this. They felt helpless, and they couldn't do a damn thing about it.

Jeremy did as he was told and began to set up the tent. Not a moment too soon either, as the winds started to blow, and the clouds started to grey. Jeremy looked over at Alyssandra; she was playing with some Drifloon and Drifblim just a few feet from the camp.

Sam watched her with a smile on his face through the small gap in the tent opening. Alyssandra loved wild Pokémon too, noted Sam, no doubt she wanted to catch one of those Pokémon she was playing with.

All of a sudden, the tent flap flew open, and Niya looked down at him. "We're staying here," she told him, "Just for the night. You're too sick to go on, and a storm's coming. It's going to be pretty bad from what I see—it'll be too dangerous to go on, especially with you like this."

Sam only nodded and rolled over in his sleeping bag.

Niya sighed, she hated seeing him like this but—there was a scream that filled the air, cutting her from her thought.

Sam had already fallen asleep, and no doubt he hadn't heard it.

When Niya exited the tent, she noted Jeremy trying to pull Alyssandra back down to the ground, as she was now hanging from a Drifloon's hand as it was being blown away by the strong winds.

Niya dashed towards her two friends and grabbed tight around Jeremy's waist. "Hold on, Jeremy!" she cried over the raising wind, leaves slapping her in the face, "You too, Lyss! Don't let go! We're going to get you down in a second!"

Alyssandra tried to reply, but her words were lost in the wind.

Niya tugged on Jeremy's waist, hoping it would help pull Alyssandra back down, but all it did was jerk Jeremy's grip on her ankles, and caused her to float off into the sky with the Drifblim, screaming "help" long behind her as she did.

Jeremy swore loudly, knowing full well that the Drifblim and Drifloon travelled with the wind, and would only stop moving when the wind did. Alyssandra could be anywhere within a half hour, and even further now that there was a storm coming.

Niya looked at Jeremy, the two of them wanting to chase after Alyssandra, but they looked back at Sam in the tent, and with a deep sigh, returned to their sick friend.

It was too dangerous to push on with the storm, and as long as the winds kept blowing Alyssandra would just keep travelling. Trying to track her and the Drifloon would be foolish.

All through the night, Niya couldn't sleep, her only though being on Alyssandra and how she was right now. Niya felt guilty for letting her fly off like that. Thoughts filled her head. Thoughts like:

"What if I hadn't tugged that last time?"

"What if I hadn't gotten involved?"

But she knew that she had, and it was her fault Alyssandra was lost. It was her duty to find her now, her and Jeremy, and Sam if he ever got better.

Niya sighed. When did things start to get so bad for the group, Niya wondered as she looked up at the top of the tent, when did things take a turn for the worst?


	28. 26 - Eterna's Forest, Separate Ways

~ Chapter 26 ~

Eterna Forest, Separate Ways

 _"I spent the night listening faintly to the sound of trees and rain falling. To thunder striking the Earth, and to Niya and Jeremy wondering aloud to each other how they were going to get Alyssandra back. Apparently, she drifted off with a Driflblim when the winds picked up, and despite how hard they tried she was gone—for now. I wanted to help them...but my mind was filled with strange dreams and stranger visions...doubts filled me, and I began to regret going on this journey. I wondered where it all had gone wrong, and where it started to fall apart..."_

Sam lay there on the ground, rolling in his sleeping bag. Niya and Jeremy watched him warily as they sat at the mouth of the tent, watching the outside world through the blinding rain.

It was as if they were hoping Alyssandra would walk from the rain with a smile on her face and return to them. But they knew that was not possible, no matter how hard they hoped.

"What does this all mean?" Asked Jeremy as he drank from the canteen of water.

Niya shrugged as Jeremy handed her some to drink. She sipped, wiped her mouth, and passed it back to Jeremy.

"I don't know," she said, "But I don't like it. All of Sam's weird fainting spells, this sudden sickness, all these storms, and now Alyssandra is missing. It's like something out there is trying to break us apart and stop us."

"But why?" Asked Jeremy, "What did we do to deserve all this?"

"I don't know. My mother used to tell me stories about imps that lived in caves all over the world, and these imps would sit there watching over us. And once and a while when we'd have too much good luck, the imps would cast a spell that caused bad things to happen to us, so that we'd have a balance of good and bad luck."

There was silence for a moment and Jeremy raised his eyebrows.

"So, the little imps in the cave made Sam sick, caused these storms, and took Alyssandra away from us to teach us a lesson?" He asked skeptically.

Niya rolled her eyes. "Of course not!" She cried, "It's just a story; I was just trying to lighten the mood."

More silence, minus the roar of thunder in the distance and morose patter if the rain on the tent.

"It feels like it, I suppose," said Jeremy suddenly.

"Hmm?" Asked Niya.

"The imp story; it kind of feels like that's what happened," he explained, "I know it's fake but…"

Niya grunted in understanding. She never got along with Jeremy as she had with Sam or Alyssandra. Not that she hated him; she had just never gotten to know him as well.

Although she tried to support him as best as she could, and she considered him a good friend, but when it came to be alone like this. The two of them didn't click like her or Sam, and definitely not like her and Alyssandra.

"So," said Niya slowly.

"So," added Jeremy in reply.

"What do you think about him and—?" started Niya.

"And her?" added Jeremy, "Hell I think it could work out. I mean, they both are very—"

"Yeah," smiled Niya, "That's true. Completely oblivious, and the both of them still can't seem to understand."

"Oh, I know," laughed Jeremy, "It's like the signals don't go through."

"Give them some time though," said Niya reassuringly, "They'll do all right—this kind of thing usually works out."

Jeremy nodded. "I wonder how Sam's doing," he wondered, "He hasn't made much noise in the last few hours…and he seems to be calmer than before. Is he still breathing?"

Niya nodded. "I just checked a few moments ago," she said, "He's fine…actually he seems a bit better than before. With any luck, we can get going soon. Alyssandra's been gone for two days."

"Jeez has it been that long?" asked Jeremy.

"Yeah," she said sadly, "With all this rain there hasn't been much to do but sleep and watch Sam. Hopefully the rain will let up soon, and maybe around the same time as Sam's sickness, and then we can get going and find Alyssandra."

Jeremy nodded. "I hope," he said, "I hope. I just want us back together again, like we were before all these storms. I want to be back together again, and I want Sam awake and happy, and healthy again."

Niya looked at Jeremy, suddenly remembering that he was a whole year younger than Sam and Alyssandra. He was the youngest of the group, only 15 years old.

He was still a child to Niya—Sam and Alyssandra were too, but there was only a year gap between them and her.

Jeremy always acted so mature and grown up, and now to see him acting more his age was…interesting.

Niya placed her hand on his shoulder. "He'll be fine," smiled Niya reassuringly, "He's always been strong, remember? He'll get back up, and it'll all go back to normal."

Jeremy looked at Niya with hope, and his mature stature seemed to be restored for the most part.

Meanwhile, Sam stirred in his sleep while his friends talked in front of him. He was vaguely aware of their presence and could understand the sounds that their voices made when they spoke, but as for what they were saying…it was lost to him.

All he had was what was in his head, and there was quite a bit there. The past few days had filled Sam with stranger and stranger dreams with each passing hour.

Each dream involved a dragon. One he remembered, he was riding on the back of a large dragon. It was black, and its head the size of two draft Rapidash—the same one from the dream he had as a child. Beside him flew a red dragon, almost as large as the black one…but slightly smaller…small enough that it looked significantly younger than the black dragon.

It would've been a nice dream had the sky not turned to storms and cause him to fall from the dragon to his dream death.

Then he was on a beach, the two dragons were curled up just beyond the reach of the waves, and his friends were there with him, playing in the sand and the sun.

The waves lapsed up around their ankles, and just when all seemed well, the sea began to swallow his friends, the sand sunk into the ocean, the dragons disappeared, and a large tsunami swallowed Sam whole, dragging him down to the bottom of the sea.

This led Sam down into a dark room, with a smooth floor and no visible walls or light. It was in this room that Sam spent the last few days…stagnant, unmoving, and bored. Sam lay on the ground, his thoughts going between Alyssandra—who apparently had gone missing a few days back—and his friends sitting out there, hoping for his safe recovery.

Sam loved his friends, and they loved him back…but even so, he felt as if he had failed them by getting sick, and the worst part was he didn't even know why. What had he done to deserve this?

Hell, what had even caused this in the first place?

Gah!

Sam gave up on thinking about that a long time ago and returned to thinking about Alyssandra again. He thought about how he felt for her, how he missed her, and how he was going to get her back as soon as he broke from this box.

Sam had even gotten to stand up, fueled by the need to get better, and started to crawl around the dark box before he slammed against the wall.

Sam shook himself off, stood up, and then continued to feel around in the darkness, hoping his hands would hit the wall or something, but he only kept walking, and walking and walking.

Then finally, the darkness began to disappear, and he was standing in a meadow, surrounded by trees, and standing on the other side of the clearing was a tall man, surrounded by shadow, with glowing red eyes.

He was tall, and he looked physically strong. Sam didn't know who he was…or why he was even there, but he knew he didn't look good.

The shadowy figure began to walk towards him. "Come to me," it said slowly and stoically, it's voice deep morose. "Come to me, boy, and I will give you power."

Sam stayed put, and raised his fists, ready to fight. The figure simply laughed and stopped in its tracks. "You cannot defeat me with those," he said, "I am too strong…even here. You are but a worm beneath my feet in this world, and in the real world."

Sam said nothing, but stood his ground—in fact, he _couldn't_ say anything, his mouth wouldn't let him speak. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't let anything out.

The shadowy man drew a sword, and Sam, though he knew not to fear anything from a dream, had doubts about this man. Something in the way he walked, and the way he spoke…and the sword.

The man exuded evil, and maliciousness. Even though this was just a dream, Sam could feel the danger in this meeting…and he knew it wasn't by chance.

Sam tried to run, but his feet wouldn't move, they were stuck in mud that hardened into cement around his ankles. Sam let out a cry, but it was muted and deafened.

Sam was afraid for the first time in his dreams, and for the first time in his life possibly. The man with the sword inched closer, raising it, and readied a strike.

Sam closed his eyes and shielded himself; but nothing happened.

His eyes shot open in a moment, and before him stood the two dragons from before; one red, one black, and in front of them stood a hooded figure.

The figure was slim, and perhaps womanlier in stature than Sam had originally noticed…but that could just have been his imagination. A sword hung at the hooded figure's hip, but she did not draw it.

The hooded figure did not speak, nor did the shadowy figure.

There was a silence, and then the dragons opened their mouth at the disposal of the hooded figure, and flames engulfed the shadowy figure, and with that everything went black.

Sam's eyes finally shot open, and he was looking up at the roof of the tent.

He groaned and gasped as his throat revealed to be cracked and dry. After much battling with his body, Sam pushed himself up in his sleeping bag, feeling his bones and muscles ache with every movement.

He had been lying there for a long time, and his reality was coming back to him.

He had fallen sick; he had been stuck in this tent for days…Alyssandra was missing.

Sam slammed his hand into the dirt, and stood up, throwing his blankets to the side. He needed to get changed into fresh clothes and get ready for the long journey ahead.

Out in front of the tent, Niya and Jeremy were enjoying the sunshine that had appeared after rain dissipated several hours earlier.

Jeremy had started up a cooking fire and was making oatmeal and sausage for breakfast.

Meanwhile, Niya cooked her toast over the very edges of the grill that had been placed over the burning logs.

"Day three," said Niya somberly, "I wonder if she's okay…has she made it to Eterna Forest do you think?"

"I wouldn't know," sighed Jeremy, almost as somber as Niya, "I hope that wherever she is she's safe, and she doesn't think we've abandoned her."

"Well, I'm sure she'll understand that we're waiting for Sam to get better, he's not really in travelling mode right now," sighed Jeremy, "Which reminds me how—"

Jeremy stopped, and looked at the tent, his jaw dropped.

Niya soon followed his line of sight, and realized where he was looking, her jaw dropping as well.

In the doorway of the tent stood Sam, tugging on his jacket, and back to normal, a look of determination stuck on his face. "Get ready to go," he smiled, "We're going to find Lyss, and we're going now!"

Alyssandra sat in a circle with her Pokémon. She had released them after she woke up in the woods alone, so that she wasn't as lonely as before.

When she had woken up she was in the woods, the Drifblim and Drifloon were gone, and her friends were as well. The storm hadn't reached as far as the forest, which she assumed was Eterna Forest, and for that Alyssandra was grateful.

"Piplup," said Piplup sadly; it missed playing with Sam's Prinplup.

The two had grown close since they departed from Floaroma Town, and now Piplup was starting to miss its new friend.

Shinx and Lopunny were trying to comfort it.

"Punny! Lopunny!" cheered Lopunny, attempting to brighten up Piplup.

"Shinx! Shinx Shinx Shinx!" cried Alyssandra's Shinx, adding to Lopunny's chorus of support.

Alyssandra had tried to help Piplup, but the thoughts of Prinplup let her to thoughts of Sam. Alyssandra wondered how he was…was he okay? Had he gotten worse in the past few days?

Alyssandra knew his sickness was the reason her friends hadn't come for her yet; so, while she waited Alyssandra travelled through the forest, looking into everything that she could while her friends came for her.

For the most she stayed by the path, and marked the trees with Piplup's Peck, and returned to a makeshift camp she had set up inside of a cave every night after exploring.

Alyssandra returned to her reality and turned her attention to Drifloon and Budew. Her two newest Pokémon; the Drifloon she had caught after waking up in the forest the other day. The Drifloon was injured, and was abandoned by its friends, so she took care of it, and ended up catching it.

Budew on the other hand, was a two-day hunt, and she had just caught it earlier this morning.

After spending days tracking it with her Pokémon, she finally found the Budew, and caught it off guard. Alyssandra battled it with the help of her Eevee and Lopunny and captured it after Lopunny—worn down from the battle—caused it to faint with a Dizzy Punch.

Drifloon and Budew talked amongst each other.

Being the newest to the group seemed to have gotten them to bond, but it wasn't long before Eevee and Cherrim waddled over to the new Pokémon and introduced themselves. In a matter of seconds, friendships were formed, and the group of Pokémon intermingled amongst each other.

Alyssandra smiled faintly, but her paradise was cut off by a scream off in the woods. Raising her finger to her mouth to quiet her Pokémon, she crawled to the mouth of the cave, and listened just beyond the reach of the sunlight.

There was nothing but silence, until a voice erupted from the trees, just a few feet beyond Alyssandra's cave.

"I don't see her," said the voice, "I saw her come by here."

It wasn't a voice she recognized…yet somehow, she felt as if they were speaking about her.

Alyssandra crouched closer to the ground, hoping they wouldn't see her—she still couldn't see them.

"The boss ordered us to find them, and weaken them," said the other voice.

"Well we can't do that if we can't find them!" retorted the other voice, "We heard reports that she's been seen in the area—no sightings of the others though."

"So, what do we do then?" asked the other person.

The first person paused to shrug. "We keep searching," he replied.

There was a long pause, followed by a low throng of buzzing noises.

Alyssandra moved out of her cave and came across the people speaking as she crouched low in a bush.

They were Team Galactic grunts…what were they doing here?

Alyssandra vowed to find out but kept watching the scene unfold.

The buzzing was soon revealed as a group of angry Combee that had been disturbed by another member of Team Galactic—they had definitely been searching for her.

Alyssandra crouched lower and watched as the angry bee Pokémon swarmed over the group of grunts, chasing them off into the forest.

Alyssandra smiled and would've laughed if she weren't hiding—but her victory was short lived, as the group of Combee, noticing her scent, dashed towards her in the bush.

Alyssandra let out a shriek and making sure each of her Pokémon escaped with her, as well as her stuff, ran from the cave before the Combee boxed them all in.

She ran with her Pokémon through the woods, over roots, under branches, around rocks and bushes, but it wasn't any good. Before long the Combee were upon her, and what was worse, amongst them was their leader, a large, angry Vespiquen.

"Quen! Vespiquen!" buzzed the Vespiquen angrily.

Alyssandra didn't need a translation to understand that the Pokémon wanted blood, or at least revenge, and she knew the only way she was getting through was if she fought her way out.

"So be it," she said, "All right guys, let's go! Piplup, Shinx, I choose you two! The rest of you, hide for now! There's no need for all of us to get hurt at once!"

Alyssandra, for as much as she wanted to use all her Pokémon, knew that using them all know would mean she would be without Pokémon once the Combee weakened them all down.

She needed to ration her Pokémon out, and use them to weaken the Combee and take out the Vespiquen.

"Shinx, Piplup!" she cried, "Use Spark and Peck on Vespiquen! Take out any Combee that get in your way!"

Alyssandra understood that if she took out the Vespiquen, she would deprive the Combee of a leader, and thereby making their attack end.

However, she also knew that attacking Vespiquen wouldn't be so easy, as all the Combee would be their protecting their Queen.

Just as she predicted, many of Piplup's and Shinx's attacks landed on Combee, knocking them out or knocking them back, and the two Pokémon were back at her side before long.

But Alyssandra wasn't going to give up—all she had to do was keep wearing down her opponents.

"Try again, you two!" she called.

Her Pokémon nodded.

"Shinx!" cried Shinx.

Followed by a happy, "Piplup!" from her Piplup.

The two Pokémon tried again. Combee were flying in front of Alyssandra's Pokémon while Shinx used its Electric attacks to cut through them. Piplup's Peck would paralyze on contact, but still, too many Combee were in the way, and this time the Combee they had taken down before were being healed by their friends and were starting to get back up.

Alyssandra paused to think, her Pokémon landing beside her again. She needed to rework her plan, adding in the healing effects of the honey used by these Combee, and the amount of Combee there were.

Alyssandra counted at least thirty, but she couldn't be sure as they moved back and forth constantly, making counting accurately near impossible.

But she was sure of one thing, there was only one Vespiquen, and that was all she needed to worry out.

It was then that Alyssandra realized the only way to take down these Combee permanently would be to catch them. She had enough Poké Balls, she had hoped she would have been able to save these Poké Balls for other Pokémon she wished to catch, but she knew she could always buy more, or borrow from her friends if she needed.

Alyssandra looked down at her Shinx and Prinplup, and then back at her Lopunny.

She nodded, and they seemed to understand.

"All right! Let's try this one more time!" cried Alyssandra, "Piplup, Bubble Beam repeatedly! Shinx, your strongest Sparks! You know what to do Lopunny!"

Her Lopunny dashed off into the woods adjacent from where Alyssandra stood, while her Piplup and Shinx dived into the crowd of flying Combee and unleashed their attacks on the unsuspecting Pokémon.

Each time a Combee fell, Alyssandra tossed a Poké Ball, and each time the Poké Ball would catch its mark.

Finally, when only a few Combee remained, Alyssandra called out to her Lopunny. "Lopunny! Jump Kick on Vespiquen! Then finish it up with Dizzy Punch once your close!"

"Punny!" cried the Pokémon jumping from a nearby tree, landing its foot into Vepisquen's back.

"Loooooo-punny!" it cried as it spun forward and used its fist to knock Vespiquen into the ground.

The Vespiquen let out an angry buzz, and refused to go down, flying back up towards Lopunny, who was still recovering from its second attack. By now, all the Combee had been caught, and her Lopunny needed guarding.

"Piplup, Pound on Vespiquen! Shinx, Spark!" she said quickly.

Her Pokémon did as commanded, bringing the Vespiquen down to the ground. Lopunny landed beside it and finished it off with a Dizzy Punch before Alyssandra could ask it—making her smile as she saw how well she connected with her Pokémon.

Her last Poké Ball in hand, Alyssandra threw it towards the Vespiquen, and within moments it was caught.

Alyssandra cheered, and her Pokémon, both from the battle and those in hiding gathered together to cheer and celebrate their shared victory.

Alyssandra let out a laugh but looked back down at her Pokémon. Those who had fought were tired, and those who hadn't were tired as well…from fear, and from the time they had spent out of the Poké Ball running around the forest.

Alyssandra sighed lightly. "All right guys, I think it's time for you to rest for a bit, okay? Let's get you back in your Poké Balls for a bit."

Her Pokémon agreed immediately and unanimously.

Alyssandra withdrew all her Pokémon, placing them either in her Ball belt, or in her bag, then proceeded to pick up the thirty-one Poké Balls that sat in the grass of the forest clearing.

One by one, she added the Combee, and finally the Vespiquen to the collection of stuff she kept in her bag. From make-up, to souvenirs and keepsakes she picked up on her travels or through life; Alyssandra had it all in her bag.

After Alyssandra finally buttoned up her shoulder bag, she looked around her…then frowned as she saw the Galactic grunts watching her from the other side of the clearing, shock on their faces from their dumb luck.

For a moment nothing was said, and the next Alyssandra bolted off into the woods, the grunts close behind her.

Alyssandra tried everything to shake them, cutting corners, doubling back, shooting left and right, and putting as many trees between them as she could, but it felt like hours before she finally shook them.

Gasping for air, Alyssandra stopped, bent over, and finally threw herself on the ground as she tried to catch her breath, hiding herself in some bushes as she did. She breathed heavily, her chest heaving as it took in air, and looked up at the sky.

The grunts angry screams came back to her while she lay there. She had never been more scared in her life—she didn't know what they wanted from her, but she knew they were coming for her, and that if they got her it would be bad.

Finally, after ten minutes, Alyssandra stood up and dusted herself off. She wasn't getting back to the cave, that much she knew. She couldn't retrace her steps to any known area of the forest to her, and besides, going back would mean running into the grunts again. The only way on was forward.

Looking around to get the lay of her bearings, Alyssandra came face to face with a large, black house. It was old, it was dusty, and it was huge…parts of it were broken down or covered in vines and age.

Alyssandra didn't need to ask what it was, she had heard all the stories and she knew exactly what she was looking at. It was the famous, and haunted, Eterna Mansion.


	29. 27 - Eterna's Ancient Mansion

~ Chapter 27 ~

Eterna's Ancient Mansion

" _Things aren't always what they seem. If I'm going to say it once, I'll probably say it a thousand more times in my adventures to come. One time this rang true was during our travels through Eterna Forest, specifically the Old Chateau, where we traced Alyssandra. With my strength back, we packed up almost instantly and moved as fast as we could towards Eterna Forest, following Niya's Glameow towards Alyssandra's scent. What we found in there later become subject to much debate between us…but even now we laugh it off as just another unexplainable oddity, until we went back…"_

Alyssandra walked up the spooky mansion. She had spent the past few days camped outside of the mansion, in the old gazebo that once served as sitting place for the family who used to live here.

Alyssandra refused to go inside the haunted house, whether the stories were true or false. She also figured that if she waited, it would give her friends some more time to catch up to her—she had been a few days ahead of them…who knew where they were, or if Sam was better yet.

Alyssandra sighed, her Pokémon refused to stay outside of their Poké Balls too long around the mansion. She couldn't really blame them; Alyssandra herself refused to enter that place, and barely enjoyed the thought of being around it at all.

But her time had come; she was bored of waiting in a broken gazebo for her friends to come find her, and she couldn't even enjoy the backyard because most of it lay in ruin.

Alyssandra knew her friends were coming to get her at some point, but the only way she was going to pass the time by was if she waited in the house. Besides, if the rain returned, she'd be a sitting duck; she'd get soaked through within minutes…plus, with Team Galactic braving to get closer to the mansion with each day, she would need to stay someplace far out of their sight.

They may be brave enough to walk the grounds, but inside the house was a different story.

Alyssandra saw the truth of this as she pushed on the large oak doors that comprised the front entrance of the house. The old doors were antiqued and had heavy brass knobs and a doorknocker that looked like a Dragonite.

In the panels of the door were carved scenes of Pokémon, of all species and types, playing in fields of wide-open space. If this house wasn't so old and creepy, and the door not so weathered with age, it would've been a beautiful work of art. But alas, inside the house was no better than the front door.

It was as if the front door was, but a glimpse of the inside would look like. As she entered the house she became surrounded by darkness, the only light coming from her flashlight.

It was dusty; it was dark and covered in rot and decay. The place smelled of old, wet, rotted wood—and no doubt the holes in the roof had attributed to the furthering of that smell.

Dusty, cobwebbed sheets covered all the furniture in the foyer. A chandelier sat in the middle of the large, high ceilinged room; shattered against the ground…no doubt it fell decades ago.

The walls were draped with paintings, many lying against the ground now, their nails having decayed and rusted beyond the point of use. These paintings were torn or deformed and now grotesque looking; what was once a beautiful painting of a man and his young bride was now a zombie portrait of a headless ghostly looking man with a half a bride in a muddy brown dress.

A piano sat by the stairs…several of which were broken or collapsing, and hallways shot off in all directions…this place was a maze.

Alyssandra shivered as the door closed behind her, the holes all over the place provided a very uncomfortable draft, and this was one of the few times that Alyssandra regretted wearing a skirt, as it left her legs wide open to the freezing cold.

She hugged herself, hoping to keep warm that way, but it didn't work. Alyssandra let out a little shiver as goose bumps started to form on her arms and legs. Haunted or not, this place was definitely creepy—there was no doubt about that.

Alyssandra picked the doorway straight ahead, out of the sake of pushing herself forward. She wasn't looking for anything in particular, just something to do while she waited for her friends.

As she exited from the short hallway that she had entered, Alyssandra found herself in a large dining hall. Another old, dusty piano that was half covered lay in the corner. Its back leg was missing and was partially collapsed on the ground.

A table was covered with a white tablecloth and was set as if dinner was about to be served.

"Hmm," said Alyssandra thoughtfully as she walked towards the table, curiosity leading her on. She picked up one of the knives; and to her surprise it was new. It wasn't covered with a layer of dust, or cobwebs, or even tarnished or stained by time.

This silver looked as if it had been polished recently…but why? And by whom, or what? Alyssandra placed the knife in her bag, hoping to bring it along as evidence in case she wanted to prove to someone that this place wasn't haunted…or perhaps it was to prove to people that this place should be avoided at all costs.

Either way, Alyssandra took the knife with her and kept walking. But as she reached the far end of the table, where the head of the table would usually be, she froze, and a loud creaking noise sounded from the floors above her.

Alyssandra wheeled around, and flashed the light up at the ceiling, hoping that by some luck it was a Golbat or a Zubat or even a Rattata playing in the rafters making those noises…but nothing showed up in the light.

Alyssandra shook it off as nerves, though, and pushed on through the room. But after a few more steps the noise happened again, and then a thunk.

Alyssandra turned around again, flashing the light around the room. "Hello?" she called, her voice resonating through the decaying house.

"Anyone there?" she called to her echo, but no one answered.

There was another pause of silence, but again nothing answered…nothing human anyway. The only sound was the creak again, and then the heavy thunk, and then another creak, and another heavy thunk.

Alyssandra could feel her heart beat in her chest, and then the sound of laughter, a high-pitched cackling laughter filled the room, that caused Alyssandra to jump.

"Hello?!" cried Alyssandra loudly, practically screaming at the top of her lungs. But there was still no answered, in fact this time all she got as silence. Nothing replied, nothing made a noise, nothing laughed, and not even the sound of her breathing resonated in the room.

It was eerie, and even worse it was unnerving. Whatever it was that was making that noise, be it the wind, a Pokémon, or even Alyssandra's imagination, it was way too silent now compared to a few minutes ago.

If it was the wind it was fine; the wind was never predictable anyway. A Pokémon wouldn't be so bad, maybe it moved to another part of the house…it was the third option, her mind, that made her worry.

She had never been one for delusions or psychosis, but suddenly, she was hearing things…at least that was a possibility anyway. If she could imagine things, what did that mean for her, that her mind could just make up noises one minute and go silent.

But Alyssandra was resolved that she was just letting the house get to her.

With a sigh, Alyssandra turned around again, and as she did, let out a horrible scream.

Terrible red eyes and a black face were pressed close to hers. Alyssandra stumbled back, but as she did she hit the floor causing it to crack and break.

Tumbling through the floor below, Alyssandra let out a fearful scream, and whatever it was that had scared her had followed her down into the pit where she had fallen, and Alyssandra knew, this was the end.

Sam looked up at the dilapidated and warped mansion. At one time, he would've marveled the craftsman ship of it, but now it was just an old crooked house that was falling apart on itself.

He, Jeremy and Niya had been following Niya's Glameow towards Alyssandra's scent for the past few days. It had led them right to the Old Chateau in the middle of Eterna Forest.

It wasn't easy, having to dodge the Team Galactic search parties that were looking for them everywhere.

Sam wondered if Alyssandra knew about them, maybe that's why she went inside. Even Team Galactic wouldn't brave the Old Chateau to find them.

"Jeez, so this is the old creepy place that used to scare me as a child?" asked Sam, scanning the left and right wings of the house—what remained of them at least.

"Yeah," said Niya, "It's everything we used to talk about, right?"

"Precisely," said Sam, "And yet it's one of the least scary things I've seen in my life…of course the scary part is the inside."

"I can't believe it, ten years later and we're still afraid of this house," said Jeremy slowly, "And we've never even been here before."

"I don't think there isn't anyone alive in the Sinnoh Region who isn't afraid of this place," commented Niya.

"Yeah that's because all the people who aren't afraid of this place live here, with the rest of the dead ghosts" smiled Sam, "That's why it's so haunted."

"So, what happened here exactly?" asked Jeremy, "How'd a house this big, owned by a family as rich as—what were their names? Anyway, how'd it get so run down?"

"Well, when I travelled by here on my first Pokémon Journey, I had this guidebook with me," explained Niya, "Apparently, this house was once home to a rich family, known as the MacAbres. The family was founded on Pokémon Ranching a few hundred years ago; at least two hundred if I remember correctly. They were extremely rich, and it was their money that helped settle Eterna City. Until their final days of wealth, they would pour money into Eterna City to help modernize it and keep it running. They even owned Eterna Forest, and their ranch specialized in raising Pokémon in natural habitats, so they used the forest to raise Pokémon."

"So, how'd they go broke?" asked Sam, "My family runs a Pokémon Ranch and we haven't gone broke yet; I'd like to be prepared."

"Actually, that's exactly why they went broke," said Niya, "Your family drove them out of business. I'm surprised you of all people don't know this. Your grandfather opened the Johto and later Kanto Ranches, and drove them out of business. When he started expanding about almost fifty years ago he drove them into complete bankruptcy. They weren't making any money, and their expenditures outweighed their profits."

"Oh…" said Sam slowly, "Well, I'm sorry to hear that."

"No, you're not," laughed Niya, "Or at least, I wouldn't be. The MacAbres, specifically their patriarch, Jonathan MacAbre, tried several underhanded tactics to try and get your family to give up their business. They even went as far as getting people to try and burn down the Johto Ranch and hiring Pokémon Hunters and Poachers to steal Pokémon."

"So, how'd he stop them?" asked Jeremy, interested in the story, "Clearly Sam's grandfather won out since the Accardi Pokémon Ranch is still in business."

"Well, he started teaching the Pokémon on his ranch how to defend themselves; and the idea of having battle ready Pokémon just made their Pokémon more popular," explained Niya, "Stopped the attacks and the thefts, and it drove the MacAbres even further into debt. It destroyed them. Jonathan took his own life a few months before their bankruptcy, and Sam's family went on to success and fortune."

Nothing was said after this, there was only a small pause of silence before Sam broke it. "So, are you sure Lyss is in there?" asked Jeremy, ignoring the possibility that the mansion was haunted.

Niya nodded. "Glameow's never been wrong before, have you boy?" asked Niya as she stroked Glameow between the ears.

Glameow purred, and replied with a contented, "Meow, Glameow!"

"Well then, I guess we should get—"

Jeremy was cut off by the sound of a loud scream.

The three looked at each other. "Lyss!" they cried. They knew instantly that she was in trouble; or at least, that she was inside, and something had scared her.

"Come on! Let's go!" cried Sam.

The group dashed from the front lawn towards the large oak door.

Sam threw them open, only taking a small note of the ornate design on the front of it. He dashed into the dusty foyer, Niya and Jeremy close behind him. They forgot their fear as they ran through the house, pausing only to let Glameow gather the scent.

"Meow, Glameow Meow!" cried Glameow, pointing its tail towards the left hallway.

"Come on, this way!" cried Niya.

The three teens and the Glameow ran down the hallway. It was unique as it was undecorated and unpainted, unlike the rest of the house. It was very basic and led to only a single door.

"I wonder where that leads?" wondered Sam, "Only one way to find out."

Sam threw open the door and fell back as someone fell through the door and landed on top of him.

Sam raised his head from the floor and found himself looking into the eyes of Alyssandra.

"Lyss!" cried Sam, followed by Alyssandra's excited.

"Sam! Jeremy! Niya!" she exclaimed, "You're all here!"

Sam and Alyssandra got up, dusting themselves off after landing on the ground, which caused a good amount of dirt to fly up into the air.

"When did you guys get here?" she asked.

"Just a few moments ago," said Jeremy, "We spent the past three days looking for you, we followed Glameow here to your scent."

Alyssandra, at that, turned around and her arms around Sam, hugging him.

"I'm glad to see you're better, by the way," she smiled as she pulled away, "I was worried about you—I knew that's why it took you guys so long to come find me. How'd you finally get better?"

"Well, it's kind of a long story," said Sam.

"Actually, that's a good question," stated Jeremy, " _We_ don't even know how it happened."

"I'll explain it all to you in a bit, all right?" said Sam, hoping to get them off his back for now, "What's important is that we're back together—although, if I'm allowed to ask a question? We heard you scream Lyss; everything okay?"

"Huh? Oh, that was just a scream of joy," she said smiling, "You see, I fell through a hole in the floor because I was scared by something. It turns out the only thing haunting this place was a group of Ghastly and their leader, a Mismagius."

"How does _that_ make you scream with joy?" asked Jeremy sarcastically.

Alyssandra shot him a look and continued. "Well, I learned through telepathy that Mismagius used to belong to the young boy who live here, back when it was a Misdreavus. But when the family went bankrupt and was forced to leave, the boy had to leave Misdreavus and his other Pokémon behind. Since then the other Pokémon left, but Mismagius evolved and gathered a group of Ghastly to help her scare away people and protect the house, in case her master ever came back again."

"I'm still not getting it," said Sam, "How is that happy? That's actually pretty tragic."

"Oh, you see," Alyssandra continued, "When I realized how lonely it was, I offered it a place with my Pokémon on the Ranch. But Mismagius would only come if I beat it in a Pokémon battle, so I beat it with my Budew and caught it—I found some spare Poké Balls in the basement. I was so happy that I screamed with joy."

"I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times," said Niya, "This place is weird."

Sam laughed. "Well, at least we know you're okay," he explained, "We were worried that you'd been caught by one of the Team Galactic search parties that are trying to find us or something."

"So, you met them too?" asked Alyssandra.

"Yeah, just after I caught my Honchkrow the other day I found—wait you know?" asked Sam.

"Yeah, I saw them a few days ago, and then they got attacked by wild Combee and a Vespiquen," explained Alyssandra as the group walked back towards the main foyer, "Then they attacked me, so I caught the wild Pokémon…of course the commotion led the Galactic grunts to me and I ran from them, all the way here."

"So, that's how you managed to escape them," said Niya, "They wouldn't come near here either I noticed. You got lucky."

"Yeah, I know, if they had found me…well, I'm sure it'd be a lot worse than ending up in this creepy house," smiled Alyssandra cheerily.

"Well at least we know it's not haunted," sighed Jeremy with relief as the group finally left the old house.

"Oh no it's definitely haunted," added Alyssandra, "It's just not so scary as before."

As the group walked down from the porch onto the lawn, a loud bang resonated from behind them. As they turned around, they saw the door had slammed shut behind them, before it flew open again and then slammed shut one more time.

The four teenagers and their Glameow paused before looking at each other,

"Let's get going," said Sam suddenly.

"Agreed!" added everyone else, and with that, they left the property and were back on their way to finish their Pokémon Journey, and once again, they were together.


	30. 28 - Trouble in Eterna

~ Chapter 28 ~

Trouble in Eterna

" _We may have been back together, but that didn't mean our adventures—or misadventures we should say—had ended. Leaving Eterna Forest was harder than entering it, as the search groups doubled in size with each day and travelling became significantly halted and delayed because of all the people looking for us. We had to be extra carefully—we couldn't even let our Pokémon out for fear that they may alert the enemy and their tracking Pokémon to our position. As long as they didn't have our scent we were safe, but a Pokémon can always sense another Pokémon, and that was a chance we weren't about to take. But finally, we reached Eterna City…of course we were no safer or better off than before…"_

The group walked carefully through the dead streets of Eterna City. They had just arrived, and the city was empty.

"For a city that's supposed to be _'alive with history'_ , it seems pretty dead with boredom," said Jeremy, "Where is everybody?"

"How should we know?" asked Alyssandra, "We just got here too, you know."

"Hey, you kids, over here!" whispered a voice.

The group turned to see Looker poking his head out of the local Pokémon Centre.

"In here!" he hissed, "Hurry!"

The group looked at each other, they knew if Looker was here, something was up; something Team Galactic related probably. They wasted no time in entering the Pokémon Centre the door whooshing shut and locking behind them.

No words were exchanged between the group and Looker, only a small motion made by Looker to bring the kids with him into the dining hall.

As they walked through the Pokémon Centre, Sam noticed that the Pokémon Centre was entirely empty. There were no Pokémon being healed, no Trainers stopping by to rest, not even a Nurse Joy greeting people at the door.

The group was seated in a booth, right across from Looker. The table was covered in maps and diagrams, as well as floor plans of what looked like a large office building.

"So why all the secrecy?" asked Sam, "And what's going on here?"

Looker scratched his chin; a thin layer of hair covered his face as beard growth began to grow over the previously clean-shaven face.

"Well, it's bad," explained Looker, "Very bad. I'm not sure you know this, but Team Galactic has a headquarters set up in this city—it's not their main base of operations, but it definitely serves as a back-up command Centre. However, we only discovered that this building belonged to them recently. You see about a week back, a helicopter landed on top of that building, and shortly after that Team Galactic grunts began to infest the city and nearby forest."

"So why didn't you strike then?" wondered Jeremy, "You had surprise on your side—at least it seems that way. They didn't know you knew, did they?"

"We couldn't strike," said Looker, "They kidnapped the police force on the first day. Since then they've been taking people captive, and not just people, their Pokémon too. People are afraid of leaving their homes, and what's worse, a few days ago Nurse Joy was taken from the Pokémon Centre. She can't assist anyone who comes into town now, so people either leave the city or check in somewhere else, but the problem is only Nurse Joy has the equipment for healing Pokémon to their top fighting form; that is unless someone has skills as a Breeder. But most Breeders were rounded up after Nurse Joy."

"So why would they want to do all of this?" asked Niya, "What could they gain by taking over Eterna City? If they were after Pokémon they could have just stolen them and be off, but they're taking people too."

"I believe they've been searching for someone or something, in the area," explained Looker, "No one has been allowed into the park in the eastern part of the city, the one with the statues of the ancient Pokémon that created the Sinnoh Region. The grunts have been everywhere searching for something in that park, but they also have search parties scanning Eterna Forest. It's like whatever they're trying to find, they're afraid someone is coming to take it from them and ruin their plans…or something along those lines. That's why they've been taking people away—they want to eliminate anyone or anything that could help this person when they get to town, as well as people who fight back against them, and taking some Pokémon along the way doesn't hurt I suppose, in their minds."

"This is horrible," said Alyssandra as she looked at the shaded windows, "We can't let them keep doing this. Whatever it is they're after they have to be stopped, for the sake of the world and for the people in Eterna. It's wrong, and it's dangerous."

"I agree," said Looker, "Which is why when I saw you four I knew I was in luck. You all have experience with Team Galactic, and you'll no doubt cut through their ranks like butter—hopefully you'll be able to stop their Commanders this time. I know last time they got the best of you in all of the excitement, but at least you know better now."

Sam could still remember the shame he felt last time when he let Mars and her team escape with the stolen energy they needed for their undisclosed plans. After all of those victories against Team Galactic, he had lost, and it was horrible.

"Well, then we won't let them win this time," said Sam standing up, "What's the plan?"

"The plan is to walk right in the back door and take back what belongs to Eterna City," explained Looker, "I don't have time for anything more elaborate, and I lack the manpower. We need to attack fast, and not give them the opportunity to continue their plans or their search. If we stop them now, we'll stop them for a good while, I believe. Are you all in?"

The group nodded. "You can count on us," smiled Alyssandra.

"We won't let them win this time," added Jeremy, "We're going to take them down where they nest! No Team Galactic grunt or Commander will get the best of us!"

Sam simply nodded, as did Niya. He agreed with Jeremy, this time he wasn't going to lose.

"Let's go," said Looker, "We'll infiltrate immediately."


	31. 29 - Eterna's Tower

~ Chapter 29 ~

Eterna's Tower

" _Team Galactic had been up to their schemes again; but this time we got to understand just what Professor Rowan was talking about when he said that they were capable of horrible things. We've battled a lot of bad people in our travels, but never have we seen people as horrible and twisted as Team Galactic. Their captives were starved; the Pokémon confined to cages and shocked every time they acted up…we knew Professor Rowan only allowed us to break our promises to him that one time in Jubilife City…he didn't know that we continued to try and stop them. He didn't know about the Valley Windworks or the past few days; we hadn't spoken to him since we arrived at Floaroma Town. No, Professor Rowan didn't find out until much later on in our travels. And for so long we wondered what he would have said if we told him before Team Galactic's final defeat…would we still be the heroes?"_

Looker led the group quietly around the corner and into the alleyway. They had snuck past the several guards that protected the front entrance and were about to break in through the back door. Rounding the corner, Sam, Jeremy, Alyssandra and Niya fell in close behind the detective.

"All right," whispered Looker as they ducked behind a dumpster, "The coast seems clear, so we're going to sneak out from behind this thing. I'll crack the lock and we'll head inside. Once there we'll split up into groups of two, leaving me to go alone. We'll try to free who we can along the way—let them escape and then move towards the command Centre. If we're lucky we can stop some of the higher ups before they escape and arrest them. Understood?"

Everyone nodded, not daring to speak lest a guard hear their voices.

Looker understood their silence and gave a small motion with his fingers to instruct the group that they were going to ambush whoever was there, quickly, and quietly.

Counting down to three, the group jumped from behind the dumpster, and everyone let out a scream as they noticed—not a grunt—but a young girl, younger than Sam, Niya, Alyssandra and Jeremy, with short red hair and clothes best fit for gardening.

Looker placed his hands on as many mouths of possible, and the red-haired girl soon followed suit.

"Who are you?" hissed Sam, "Why is she here? She's just a kid."

"So are we," added Niya quickly, "Besides who are you to make judgments."

However, Looker did not respond, but only smiled as if he knew something the group didn't, though granted he probably did.

Looker was very selective with the information he possessed, to an almost unhelpful extent.

"Calm down. This isn't just any other kid," laughed Looker, "This is the local Gym Leader, Gardenia."

Sam scanned over the girl, realizing that she was his next opponent on the path to the Pokémon League. She didn't seem like something to be afraid of, but if there was something Sam learned recently, it's that looks don't always define something's strength, and things aren't always what they seem.

"Well, I guess it's nice to meet you then," said Sam slowly, extending his hand to shake.

Gardenia ignored his hand. "No time for formalities," she said simply, "But it _is_ nice to finally see that Trainer that Roark told me so much about."

"Wait, Roark spoke of me?" asked Sam with surprise.

Gardenia smiled, her orange eyes looking Sam over. "Of course," she giggled, "We Gym Leader's talk, you know. I hope you're as prodigal as he made you sound, otherwise our battle later on is going to be very boring."

Sam smiled at the challenge. "I assure you, my tricks weren't all spent on his battle," he said, "I have plenty saved for you."

"Hey, can we keep the conversation to a minimum?" asked Jeremy with an anxious tone, "Looker's getting the door open now."

Sam looked over at the detective just in time to see him crack the lock and swing the door open.

"Are you coming Gardenia?" he asked.

Gardenia nodded. "I'm am Eterna's Gym Leader; I haven't spent the past few days hiding out, so I could keep hiding. I'm here to defend my city, just like my job says. It's my duty."

"Very well, you'll come with me then," he explained, "I have no Pokémon on me currently, they were taken when they came for Nurse Joy."

"Don't worry, my Pokémon will protect you," giggled Gardenia as she and Looker entered the building and headed towards the left side of the hallway.

Looker paused once everyone was inside and looked back at the group. "You remember the plan?"

Everyone replied with a confident, "Yes," and with that, they were split off into groups.

With Looker and Gardenia taking the left, Niya and Sam taking the middle, while Alyssandra took the Centre with Jeremy at her side.

"I've missed travelling with you," joked Niya as the duo walked down the silent hallway.

Sam laughed. "It _has_ been a while, hasn't it?" he said, "When was the last time we went off together like this?"

"Jubilife City, I believe, at the coffee shop" said Niya, "You went with Alyssandra in Oreburgh Gate, we all went together through the Ravaged Path, and you went with Alyssandra to the Fuego Ironworks while Jeremy caught up with you later—I'm not letting you guys forget that by the way—and we all travelled together until the Old Chateau, well, minus Alyssandra."

"Yeah, sorry about that by the way," said Sam apologetically, "I didn't know Jeremy would come after us—I expected him to still be back at camp. Though, in our defense, it wasn't our fault, it was those Ambipom—they took each of our Pokédexes, not my fault they couldn't get yours."

"Yes, because that makes up for it all," sighed Niya, "I guess now I just have to blink my eyes and the feeling of being left out will go away."

Sam rolled his eyes. "Stop messing around," he smiled, "We need to find the people Team Galactic kidnapped."

Niya froze in her tracks as they turned the corner. "No need," she said in a horrified tone, "I think we just found them."

Sam looked around and noticed she was right.

And Niya was also right to be so terrified.

People lay in cells with small, cramped quarters and too few beds and benches. Some were passed out on the ground, others looked roughed up, they all looked sleep deprived and hungry.

Sam scanned the captives, seeing Nurse Joy, Officer Jenny, the police force, the Poké Mart operator, a professor, and several civilians, even small children who had probably done nothing but question some grunts about where their families were being taken.

Sam clenched his fists and jaw alike, knowing full well that this is what Professor Rowan meant about Team Galactic's ambitions. "This is just horrible," he said, "I can't believe they can do this to people."

Niya grabbed Sam by the arm and dragged him into a nearby closet.

Sam looked at her, surprised, but she hushed him by placing a finger to her mouth and pointing out the door.

Sam peaked through the crack in the door and noticed a short, squat man with wild grey hair and glasses that sat on the end of his nose walking up to the glass of the cells.

"Look at them," he said wickedly, a dark smile on his face. He must've been talking to someone, but whoever it was Sam couldn't see.

"They're like animals," cackled the old man, "How long do you think it'll be before they eat each other?"

"Not for a long time," said a deep voice, "Perhaps weeks. Months."

The deep voice seemed oddly familiar, to the point where Sam was annoyed he couldn't place it.

"Pity," said the old man, "By then we'll be all finished here…do you think the boss will let me take some back with us to test my theories and use in my experiments?"

The deep voiced man chuckled. "I don't know, Charon," he said, "The boss is a very strict man, and his Lordship is a whole other story. I don't know how they'll react to your little 'pet projects.'"

"They're more than pet projects!" snapped the man known as Charon, waving a wrinkled hand at the other man, "Far more than that…they are my toys, my play things. You know how much I love my toys. But more than that, they reflect humanity at its worst. Trapped…alone…no food or water for days…they slowly go mad. It reflects how on the inside, we are all at our basest nature. It just takes a little… _push_ …to getting us going."

Charon stared wickedly through the one-way glass windows, evil visions dancing in the reflections of his eyes.

"Well, I don't know about that," said the deep voiced man sympathetically, "But I'm sure you can ask the boss if it means that much to you. Don't expect much though; and don't try to smuggle them out like you did the last experiment."

"It would have worked had it survived," said Charon defensively.

"And it would have survived, and stayed silent, if you had cut its vocal chords like I suggested," said the deep voiced man, "Then the boss wouldn't have heard it."

"Actually, tests show it was the multiple arms, several vital organs that… _went missing_ , and Pokémon brain that caused it die—the body just couldn't support itself, so it was practically dead long before the boss had me kill the poor thing," said Charon darkly, "Now you had best return to your men, the boss _and_ his Lordship will be expecting results from your most recent search. He's hoping that _you_ of all people will be able to draw these kids out from their little hiding hole!"

"Let's hope," said the deep voice with a sound of strain and exhaustion, "I tire of how they constantly ruin our plans, all it does is make us take even longer to get to the truth, and I'd much rather see my research pay off sooner than later."

"Well then, you'd best hope you catch them," said Charon, and with that, the two men walked off in different directions.

Sam slid back and let the door close softly with a light click as Charon walked by.

Sam looked back at Niya, who was even more horrified than before. Her hand was over her mouth, and though she wasn't tearing up, Sam could see the sadness in her eyes.

"This is a horrible place," she said softly.

Sam knew that for Niya to be disturbed like this, it had to be something really bad. Even Sam, known affectionately as "The Lion" back in Twinleaf Town amongst the kids in his childhood, was scared of what might happen if he and Niya were caught. More so he feared for the others, Alyssandra and Jeremy, and Looker and Gardenia.

Sam placed his arm around Niya, and hugged her gently, trying to comfort her.

"Those poor people…those poor Pokémon…" she said gently.

Sam knew she wasn't talking about the people in the cells, not entirely anyway. She meant the ones Charon and the other man had spoken of before. The ones who had several arms, a Pokémon brain and were missing several vital organs.

Sam could only imagine the sick chimera-like creature that had been created as a byproduct of science, and even the fact that he could imagine it scared him.

"Come on," said Sam softly, "Let's get going, we'll bring them down and stop this."

Niya had regained her composure and was now filled with a burning desire to defeat Team Galactic at all costs.

"Let's go," she said simply, and the two left the closet.

The people in the cells didn't even notice them as they walked past, mainly due to the one-way mirrors. But Sam could see everyone clearly.

Most were sleeping or passed out from hunger or dehydration, but those that were awake, or had been there long enough, only looked at them with hollow eyes that didn't even really see them. They were staring in his and Niya's direction, unaware that someone was on the other side.

"What did they do to them to make them like this?" asked Sam; "They've only been in there for a week at the most, a few days at the least."

"They're all alone, Sam," said Niya gently, not even wanting to look at these people, "I wouldn't be surprised if the rooms are sound proofed. The walls are definitely thick enough that they wouldn't notice someone in the next cell, and judging by how abandoned this hallway is, it can only be assumed that even that Charon guy barely comes by. They're going crazy from their solitude."

Sam shivered; he would hate to be stuck in a cell alone, with no friends or contact to anyone else. He would go crazy too.

"Come on, let's just keep going," said Sam, taking Niya by the arm and leading them from the room. They needed to keep investigating the building and find the control room that kept the cells locked.

They continued down fairly empty hallways, ducking into shadows or a closet or another hallway whenever a grunt or researcher came by, but for the most part they were alone.

Sam could only assume this was because all of the grunts were out looking for Sam and his friends in Eterna Forest, it probably didn't occur to them that they had already reached town.

Team Galactic probably thought they would have noticed…and still, Sam wondered why they hadn't just placed guards at the city entrance then?

Perhaps they were so sure they'd catch them in the forest? Or maybe they didn't want to make it obvious that they were in control now—the less attention they drew from travelers the better for their plans.

Whatever the reason Sam figured it was a big risk to take if he and his friends were so crucial to remove.

Finally, after climbing several sets of stairs and searching almost every inch of the building, Sam reached the roof.

Niya was close behind him, doing much better than she had when they were in the room with all of the cells, though there had been one point where they came by Pokémon being strapped down in cages, barely fed, or watered and shocked any time they moved.

She almost broke down in that room; Niya loved Pokémon, to see them treated like that must've killed her.

He could only have imagined Alyssandra's reaction to all of this had she seen it…she wasn't quite as strong willed as Niya, and even Niya broke down…or perhaps Alyssandra had already come across rooms like this?

Sam changed his thoughts from that to what was at hand. He looked around the highest floor of the building. Glass windows, that looked over the entire city, boxed it in, and to the far end was a large screen mounted on the wall.

Several lab tables appeared in the middle of the room, and they looked recently used.

Standing at the other end of the room stood a familiar face, and next to her what Sam and Niya could only take for another Galactic Commander.

Mars and a woman in a full body jumpsuit with magenta hair that was put up into a high ponytail and a low bun stood there, as if waiting for something.

Mars had her Purugly by her side, gently mewing as he stroked it between the ears.

"Are you sure it's them?" asked Mars, "I'd love a chance to speak with them again; I bet they were so ashamed last time…such a newcomer mistake, letting the bad guy talk herself out of a bad situation."

Sam knew she knew, right then, and he knew that they had _allowed_ him and Niya to get that far into the building. What was worse, she was mocking their failure last time; the pain and shame felt by Sam during that defeat was still fresh, and it was a wound he did not allow reopened so easily.

"It's them all right," said the magenta haired woman, "They've been walking through our halls, thinking they're being stealthy—they forgot to factor in security cameras."

"Where are they now then?" asked Mars with a girlish smile, "I can't wait to shame them again."

"Calm down, Mars," said the other woman, "Don't get ahead of yourself or _you're_ going to lose this time. Besides, they're right there on the stairs. That's right—" The woman turned around, Mars following her gaze as they fell on Sam and Niya "—We know. You can come out now."

Sam and Niya walked up the remaining steps and entered the large room. Mars was smiling like a mad woman at the sight of them, but the other woman kept her cool and didn't even seem all that interested in them as she spoke.

"You've caused us a lot of trouble," she sighed, "And now we have to take you down."

"Not so fast," said Mars, "I want to know first, how you got into the city without being noticed?"

Sam shrugged, knowing this time _he_ had to play along. "Your grunts tread wide trails, too many gaps in between," he explained, "They're easy to slip through—and they avoid the Old Chateau like the plague, something about it being haunted."

The magenta haired woman only smiled. "Gutless," she said simply, "As to be expected. But no matter, we have you now and they shall be punished for their foolishness later."

"I can't wait!" shrieked Mars.

She seemed different than the last time they spoke, noted Sam, as she was much more…wild and erratic this time, not so calm and collected, but last time had been a farce in order to distract him and his friends. He supposed this was Mars' true personality.

"First, you'll have to deal with us, though," said Sam as he placed his hand to his Poké Ball belt and drew a Poké Ball.

"I've been waiting for this," said Mars.

She jumped forward, and her Purugly hopped in front of her, purring with a ferocity that made it sound more dangerous than it probably was.

The magenta haired woman raised her hand, however, and stopped the battle before it started. "Leave this to me, Mars," she said gently, "Start packing up what we haven't already; get everything into the helicopters and the trucks and move out. Return to HQ—I'll catch up soon."

"But, Jupiter…" said Mars regretfully, wanting the chance to battle Sam once more.

The woman, Jupiter, gave a sharp look to Mars, a look that only a superior could give to an underling.

Sam instantly knew that Jupiter was the superior of the two commanders, and something about that intimidated him. He knew Mars' Pokémon, a Zubat and a Purugly…but Jupiter's Pokémon were a mystery, and if Jupiter was higher up, she would no doubt be stronger.

Something in Sam made him wish Looker and the others were here with him; he'd even be happy with Gardenia, maybe with a Gym Leader at his side he'd fair better against Jupiter.

In the end, it was Niya's reassuring look and hand on his shoulder that gave him the confidence to start fighting.

Mars looked back at Jupiter with disappointment but said nothing as she recalled her Purugly and dashed off towards the elevator.

"Go after her," Sam said, pointing Niya towards Mars, "Send one of your Pokémon for the others!" Niya nodded and dashed towards the elevator, throwing herself in just as the door closed.

Sam turned his attention back to Jupiter. Before he could prepare himself; she released her Pokémon, two at a time.

"Zubat, Skuntank, go!" she said calmly and firmly. Her two Pokémon landed from their Poké Balls, Skuntank on the ground, Zubat flying through the air, and at her command they were off to attack Sam. "Zubat, Poison Sting, Skuntank, Iron Tail!"

Sam dodged the two attacks at the last minute and watched as the wall behind him took the damage, parts of it falling apart and down onto the stairs.

Sam tossed two Poké Balls and released his Staravia and Luxray. "Staravia use Wing Attack on Zubat! Luxray I want you charge at Skuntank and use Bite!" cried Sam.

Jupiter was quick to counter. "Skuntank jump, land on Luxray, then follow it up with Poison Gas," commanded Jupiter flawlessly, "Zubat, fly up into the air and outfly Staravia."

Luxray dashed towards its opponent, but the commands given to Skuntank by its Trainer allowed it to escape being hit by Bite, and Luxray was crushed beneath the weight of Skuntank. The Poison Gas released by Skuntank only made it worse, and inhaling it only caused Luxray pain.

Meanwhile, Zubat flew high in the air towards the sky, then leveled off a few inches from the ceiling. Zubat had practice flying in indoors that Staravia didn't, causing Staravia to hit the ceiling and fall to the ground.

Sam wasn't given time to react, as Jupiter called for another attack.

Staravia was kept grounded as Zubat unleashed a Supersonic followed by a Poison Sting, while Skuntank jumped upward from pinning the stunned Luxray to the ground and unleashed an Iron Tail that Sam could tell hurt.

Sam felt helpless all of a sudden. He was right about Jupiter, she was strong, but he needed to be stronger. He couldn't let her win, he saw what her kind did to people and Pokémon. He had heard the horrible story told by that awful man Charon, and moreover, he knew that if he failed here like at the Valley Windworks, it would only permit Team Galactic to laugh in his face again and continue doing horrible things to others unhindered.

Sam had had enough with loosing. He clenched his fists and recalled his Luxray. It had taken too much damage from the Iron Tail and the Poison Gas to keep fighting.

Sam had only one resort left…his Prinplup. Staravia was still able to battle, but it was severely weakened by the Zubat that flew over it.

Sam analyzed the situation as he reached for Prinplup's Poké Ball…perhaps Jupiter sensed that and allowed it for some unknown reason.

To Sam she seemed like someone who appreciated strategy, well thought out moves and cool headedness.

Somehow by taking the time to plan his next move, Sam had earned himself enough time to do just that. Sam didn't question it, but instead thought.

Prinplup would be better matched against Zubat; it wouldn't have to worry about flying and maneuvering in the air, while its Bubble Beam could match Poison Sting easily.

Moreover, Staravia was better suited for Skuntank, as it could easily dodge Skuntank's jumps and poison clouds, and the Iron Tail could be countered with Steel Wing if necessary.

Sam smiled as he had his strategy, unleashing his Prinplup. "I'm about to teach you what happens when you hurt innocent people," said Sam, "You hurt Pokémon, people, and moreover you hurt my friends—my Pokémon!"

"You cannot see the forest for the trees," sighed Jupiter, "What we do is all for the greater good of everyone; anyone who stands in our way stands in the way of progress and peace—we cannot allow that. Just like you cannot allow us to get in your way, am I correct?"

"There's a difference! You guys are evil! You claim to be for peace and progress," roared Sam, "All you do is hurt people and Pokémon and do horrible experiments on them!"

Jupiter chuckled heartily. "Good and evil is perspective," she said softly, "The world is not all black and white. In fact, it rarely ever is anything but grey. You see my cause as evil; I see my cause as good, and vice versa. This world is not just good and evil; hero and villain. The world is full of people, and people are capable of great good and great evil both. It is only a matter of opinion as to which side people support."

Sam was speechless; he had nothing to say to her. Part of him could understand her speech, but the other part of him only cared for revenge for his Luxray, and for the Valley Windworks, and for everyone who had ever been hurt by Team Galactic.

"Enough talk," said Sam, "Prinplup, let's do this! Bubble Beam on Zubat now! Staravia, can you still fight?"

Staravia struggled as it rose, but after a few flaps of its wings it was back in fighting shape—though still heavily wounded, it wouldn't be able to fly long.

"Staravia!" cried the Pokémon.

"Use Wing Attack on Skuntank, keep a heads up for more commands though!"

The two Pokémon did as they were told.

Jupiter was ready and commanded her Pokémon as well.

Prinplup's bubbles clashed head on with Zubat's Poison Sting, while Skuntank jumped back and dodge the Wing Attack. But unbeknownst to Jupiter, Sam had already prepared for this.

"Prinplup, run into the smoke and prepare a Metal Claw!" cried Sam, "Staravia, I want you to circle above Skuntank! Top speed!"

Once more Sam's Pokémon did as they were told. Prinplup dashed right into the smoke, disappearing instantly. While Staravia circled around Skuntank like a hawk over its prey.

Skuntank watched as Staravia sped around its head, circling like a fast orbiting moon. Skuntank watched so intently that its head followed the path of motion.

When Sam was satisfied that it was properly distracted by Staravia's motion, Sam called for the next attack. "Staravia! Dive and use Tackle, then move in for a Wing Attack while it's down!" cried Sam.

"Staraaaaavia!" cried the bird Pokémon as it dipped down towards Skuntank. The full weight of its was momentum behind it, driving right into Skuntank and sending it flying through the air.

Staravia wasn't done, however, after it landed the attack it pulled up from the floor and continued its speedy dash towards Skuntank and sent it flying right into the wall behind Jupiter, only to find itself crashing into the floor a few minutes later, exhausted, and unconscious.

Sam gritted his teeth as Staravia hit the floor as well, strained from exhaustion. It had worked hard and had beat Skuntank, but not without a price. Sam would never forget his Pokémon's hard work today.

"Return Staravia!" cried Sam, "Thank you for everything, friend."

Sam then turned back to Prinplup. "Prinplup, go after Zubat with your Metal Claw!"

There was a pause, and nothing happened.

"Prinplup!" cried Sam again, incase his Pokémon didn't hear him. But still nothing. Sam tried to call again, and finally something emerged from the now dissipating clouds of dust.

But it wasn't Prinplup that emerged, but instead a mighty Empoleon lunged itself towards Zubat, prepping a Metal Claw.

Jupiter, though shocked at the sudden evolution undergone by Prinplup, reacted at a speed so fast that Niya would've been proud, as it was something she was trying to teach Sam and Alyssandra constantly.

"Zubat pull back a bit! You're faster than it and its larger and heavier now! It's still getting used to its body!" cried Jupiter.

And she was right, Sam knew. He hadn't calculated an evolution, but he wasn't concerned. Smiling, Sam called out his next move.

"You may not be used to your new body, but I'm sure you remember your old moves!" he smiled, "Bubble Beam!"

Zubat couldn't pull back far enough to dodge the Bubble Beam, as the mass of bubbles dashed towards it and sent the Pokémon flying back against the same wall that had taken down Skuntank.

Sam's Empoleon landed on the ground, majestic and proud, basking in the glory of its victory while its shiny, metal armor glistened in the light that poured from the windows.

"I know there's no good and evil in your books," started Sam, "But there are definitely winners and losers; you have to admit that at least."

Jupiter stared long and hard at Sam, still taking in her defeat, but not betraying her cool, collected nature. Calmly she recalled her Pokémon, but a small smirk appeared on her face as the room started to shake.

Moments later a large helicopter with a stylized yellow G emblazoned on it leveled to the floor.

"Stop playing around, Jupiter!" called Mars, "I've got everything done you asked me too! Everything's safe and on the way to HQ! Come on, let's go!"

Jupiter looked back at Sam with a wicked smile. "Are there?" asked Jupiter finally before running towards the window.

Sam tried to stop her but knew better than to put that much strain on Empoleon. There would be other chances, and future battles, as much as Sam hated to admit it.

"Good bye, Sam of Twinleaf Town," called Jupiter from the helicopter, "I'm sure we'll meet again!"

And with that she was gone in seconds, disappearing on the horizon along with Sam's anger.

Sam looked down at Empoleon with a wide grin. "You did great," he beamed, "Now come on, let's get going!"

Sam ran back down the stairs, leading himself back to the room where all the cells had been. They were empty, and the doors were open; Sam could only hope that Looker got to them before Charon did, but when he stumbled out into the back alley, he was relieved to see everyone and their Pokémon reuniting slowly and adjusting to their newfound freedom.

Many were thanking Looker, Gardenia, Alyssandra and Jeremy, who stood at the Centre, while Nurse Joy was looking at Niya. She was scratched, her hair was messy, and her nose was bleeding. A bruise appeared under her left eye—it must have come to blows in that elevator, and somehow the thought of Niya in a fistfight with Mars made Sam smile.

"We did it," said Jeremy, appearing almost out of nowhere, Alyssandra close behind.

Sam smiled and clapped his friends on the shoulder. "I know," he said softly, exhausted from his battle, "Again!"

The three of them laughed and were soon joined by a bandaged and cared for Niya. "We seriously should just make a career out of this," she added, "Though Looker would be out of a job if we did."

Another laugh.

Everything was back to normal.

"You did good, kids," smiled Looker as he joined them, "You stopped Team Galactic, freed the people and kicked some Commander ass if I do say so myself."

"Where's Gardenia?" asked Jeremy looking around the crowd of people for any sight of her.

"She went back to the Gym," explained Looker, "She needed to get back to the Trainers in hiding there."

"You know, the only down side is they got away again, with all of their research and plans," sighed Sam, "Otherwise it was a flawless rescue."

"Look at this way," added Alyssandra cheerfully, "We got Team Galactic out of her earlier than they wanted, saved the town and its Pokémon, and we showed them that we're still better than them. Plus, we're all safe, and Team Galactic got nothing from the park."

Sam smiled, yes that was a good thing, and not to mention his Prinplup had evolved into an Empoleon.

Suddenly Sam felt a tug at his sleeve and turned around to see an old woman with long grey hair that was tied back tightly into a bun.

"Excuse me, young man," she said gently, "I just wanted to thank you for defeating Team Galactic, I already thanked your friends, but only that girl there would take my kind of thanks."

Sam looked at Alyssandra, and she showed him two Poké Balls in her hand. "A Munchlax," she said, "Though I found an injured Togekiss in their labs—I caught that one inside, it was so thankful that I saved it…I just couldn't leave it behind."

Sam smiled softly, loving Alyssandra's warm-hearted nature. "The boy didn't want any Pokémon and the other girl said she wasn't catching any," continued the old woman, "But I know you're a Trainer, and I don't have much to give you but this."

The old woman handed him a large object, egg shaped and coloured brown and white. The patterning was beautiful, but the egg was heavier than expected, causing Sam to stumble a bit as he took it from the woman.

"I take care of stray Pokémon, and one day I found this egg out in the alleyway near my house," said the woman, "But I have no time or strength anymore to take care of all the Pokémon I bring in, so I do my best to try and find them homes with Trainers who will see to their proper care. I know Munchlax and this egg will fare well with both of you."

Sam smiled down at the old woman. "Thank you very much," he said gratefully, "I'll take extra care of it."

The women smiled before returning to a small litter of Meowth that couldn't have been older than hatchlings.

Sam, with the egg carefully in his arms, turned back to his friends. "Celebration dinner, then?" he asked, "Looker would you like to join us?"

Looker paused, debating his answer, then finally responding with a smile. "Reports can wait," he said cheerily, "I suppose a bit of celebrating is in order after today."

As the group began their walk back towards the heart of the city, Sam's friends replied enthusiastically, demanding yakiniku this time. To which Sam happily obliged. And finally, that day, the shame of losing at the Valley Windworks was gone…but the words of Jupiter stuck to his mind, about peace and progress.

Now Sam couldn't help but wonder, what _were_ Team Galactic plans, and how did they intend to achieve their goals?

For now, Sam could only wonder, and worry.


	32. 30 - Family

~ Chapter 30 ~

Family

" _Family is an amazing thing. They're always there for you when you need someone, and even when you don't. They'll always support you and have your back. Many times, I called my friends my family; and they were truly like brothers and sisters to me—except Alyssandra, I've always loved her as something more, ha-ha. But it was the day I fought Gardenia that I realized family was more than just those I travelled with. All of your friends are your family, and I truly learned that lesson that day. All of my friends came to support me, and even those who couldn't be there in person were still supporting me. I am, and was, truly grateful to have them there for me, and even if some of them are no longer with us, I still count them as my family."_

The group sat at the table, eating their food. There wasn't as much as they would normally have liked, but Eterna City was still trying to get everything back together again, and much of the food and reserves in this city had been used up or stolen by Team Galactic, and whatever was left was rationed out carefully while new shipments of food were on their way from all over the Sinnoh Region.

Sam beamed as he thought of his upcoming Gym Battle. "I can't wait," he said cheerily, "I'm going to do great."

"Have you even chosen which Pokémon you're going to use yet?" asked Niya as she finished her small plate of food.

"Well, I know I'm going to use Staravia," said Sam, also finishing his meal, "Staravia's been doing great since its recovery from the battle with Jupiter, and I think it can get me through the battle."

"Are you sure it's wise to use Staravia for three battles in a row?" asked Alyssandra.

"Lyss is right," added Jeremy, "That might be over doing it a bit."

The group stood up and walked towards the entrance hall of the Pokémon Centre.

"What choice do I have?" asked Sam defensively, "Empoleon isn't the right type to battle against Grass type Pokémon, and Luxray is still out of commission from its last battle; it won't be healed in time."

"Well you _could_ use Empoleon," said Niya as they gathered their Pokémon from the front desk, "But you would need to plan your moves carefully with him."

Alyssandra frowned. "I still can't believe your Prinplup evolved into an Empoleon already," she said, "My Piplup hasn't even evolved into a Prinplup yet…of course I'm not even sure if I _want_ to evolve my Piplup yet."

The Nurse Joy that was handing back the group's Pokémon suddenly intervened in the conversation. "Excuse me," she said softly, "You're Sam Accardi, right?"

Sam realized that she was speaking to him. "I am, yes," he said, "Is something wrong?"

Nurse Joy smiled. "Oh nothing, it's just that you have a call," she explained, "Well, had, he said to call him back."

"Who was it that called?" asked Sam, partly hoping that it was Professor Rowan, or someone from home.

They hadn't spoken to anyone from home since they left Floaroma Town. Storms and long amounts of travelling in the wilderness had prevented that, and the debacle in Eterna just a few days past hadn't allowed them much free time to call either.

Not to mention Sam had been too busy training the past few days to call home.

"He said his name was Roark," said Nurse Joy, "He said he had something for you and to call him back when you could."

Sam instantly knew what it was about; he was getting back the revived Skull Fossil that he had given Roark so long ago.

Sam dashed to the videophones and punched in the number to the Oreburgh Museum. He eagerly waited, while the call connected, and after what seemed like an eternity of rings, Roark's face appeared on the screen.

"Hey, Sam!" greeted Roark, "Long time no see, you look great."

"Thanks," replied Sam, "Nurse Joy said you had something for me? I'm assuming it's the Skull Fossil I sent to you."

"That's right," said Roark, "I just revived it yesterday; you are now the proud owner of your very own Cranidos."

"Awesome!" Sam had been eager to find out what Pokémon would come from the ancient fossil.

Jeremy had said it was a Cranidos, but he wasn't entirely sure.

Sam was glad to see he was right, he was also glad that he finally had another Pokémon to add to his main team.

"I'll send it over now," said Roark.

Sam nodded as he disappeared from the screen. After several minutes Roark returned to the conversation. "I just placed it in the transporter, it should be over in a bit," he explained.

"Thank you," said Sam gratefully, "I appreciate it, and especially since you did it for free."

"It was nothing," said Roark, "Besides, I figured you could use another Pokémon on your team. You can't fight the Elite Four with just three Pokémon. Plus, it's a gift for beating me the way you did; very crafty. Let's hope it works as well against Gardenia. You're battling her today, aren't you?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah," he admitted, "Though I only really have one Pokémon that's a good type match up for her."

"That didn't seem to stop you when you fought me," said Roark.

"Well my Pokémon knew moves with a type advantage then," explained Sam, "Now, well, I'm not sure what I can do. Staravia can get me through this, but just in case Staravia isn't able to go through the whole battle I _do_ have Empoleon. Its Peck might be able to deal with Gardenia's Grass types, and Metal Claw isn't at a disadvantage either. If only it knew Ice type moves, I'd be set."

Roark smiled at Sam with reassurance. "You'll do fine," said Roark, "You'll beat her, it's in your blood, and you have skill, your own skill. You'll be just fine, trust me. I'd come watch you if I could, but another Trainer's coming by today, unfortunately. Don't worry though, I'll be there to cheer you on when you fight the Elite Four, I want to see you go far."

Sam beamed with confidence. "Thanks, Roark," he smiled, "I look forward to it, good luck today too! Bye!"

"Bye!" said Roark, and the screen went black as the phone shut off. The others had gathered behind him, and as he looked back at them, he realized something.

"We should phone home," suggested Sam, "We haven't done that in a while, I'm sure our families miss us."

Before Sam could turn around and dial the number however, a gruff voice sounded from behind him. "That won't be necessary, my dear boy," said the voice, "We're already here."

The group turned around and was surprised to see Professor Rowan and Mrs. De Oliveira standing in the doorway of the Pokémon Centre.

Behind them stood a tall man in a long green trench coat that he wore over brown jeans and a white shirt. His hands were gloved, and his hair was blonde and wild, flowing all over the place like a lion's mane.

"Palmer?" asked Sam in amazement.

Jeremy and Alyssandra looked at each other and then to Palmer. "Is that Tower Tycoon Palmer?" they asked, "The one that owns and operates the international chain of Battle Frontiers?"

"You mean the one Sam used to have that man crush on?" joked Niya.

"It wasn't a man crush!" cried Sam defensively, "He was just a personal hero of mine."

"Man crush eh?" laughed Palmer, "Well, who wouldn't be enthralled by my charms?"

Sam rolled his eyes. "You haven't changed at all," laughed Sam, "How have you been? Why are you guys here?"

"We're here to cheer you on," said Professor Rowan, "We heard that you were taking on Gardenia—Jeremy called home a few nights ago and mentioned it. We figured we'd travel up here as a surprise. We missed your last Gym Battle, it only seemed fair."

"Is my grandmother here?" asked Sam, looking around for any sign of the white-haired woman.

Linda looked at him solemnly. "She's been feeling tired lately," said Jeremy's mother, "She's at home resting right now. Josh is with her making sure she gets whatever she needs. I hope that's okay."

Sam's face dimmed a bit, but he was still happy to see everyone else. "Well, I'm fine yes," Sam forced a smile, "She'll be fine soon I'm sure; and you guys are here so that helps too!"

"I just have one question," started Niya, turning everyone's attention to her, "Why is Palmer here? I mean, not that I mind him being here, it's just…he's the Tower Tycoon! Professor Rowan and Mrs. De Oliveira, I understand, but we haven't even met Palmer before."

Palmer laughed. "She's keen," he said, "That or she doesn't know yet."

"I don't think she does," said Alyssandra, "She wasn't there for the funeral, that's when we found out."

"Found out what?" asked Niya.

"My grandfather was Palmer's mentor," explained Sam.

"Taught me everything I know," smiled Palmer, "I was just a boy back in Twinleaf Town when I met Aurelio. I was ten, leaving on my Pokémon Journey and I came across your grandfather by Lake Verity. He was only forty-seven then, visiting his friend Professor Rowan here when he met me. I thought he was so cool; he and Rowan were battling it out like pros. It was so close; in the end, it was a draw. From then on, I begged Aurelio to train me, so he trained me, and would meet up with me during key points of my travels through the Sinnoh Region to mentor me. I'm the Trainer I am today because of him."

"Do you just know everyone?" asked Niya, unfazed by Palmer's story.

Professor Rowan laughed. "I remember that day," he smiled, "It was a long time ago, back when I was still in my prime."

Linda chuckled. "I heard stories about that before from Nancy," she said, "Rowan would have won that match if he hadn't sent out his Luxray in the second round."

Professor Rowan gave Linda a look, and everyone laughed.

While they enjoyed their laughs together, no one noticed that all of a sudden, the door whooshed open, and in ran a small girl with long green hair. Behind her stood a tall man with a round belly and muscled arms. His long grey hair was pushed back, and his broken nose was the main feature of his face.

Sam looked up, recognizing the man's kind eyes. "Rort?" he asked surprised, "What are you doing here?"

Alyssandra looked up as well, noticed Rort and waved at him.

"I hope I'm not late," he said, "I came to watch Sam battle my granddaughter."

"Your granddaughter?" asked Sam, "I'm going to be battling this girl here?"

Sam looked at the young girl with long hair. She looked to be at least five or six, and since she had come in with Rort, he assumed she was his granddaughter. But why he would have to fight her he had no idea.

"No, this girl is mine, actually," said Professor Rowan, "My son is out adventuring in the Unova Region, and so I'm taking care of my granddaughter until he and his wife return."

He picked the girl up in his arms and balanced her on his hip. "I'm Sakura," she smiled, "Nice to meet you!"

"She's adorable," fawned Niya.

Alyssandra agreed and the two played with the little girl while she sat on her grandfather's hip.

"Who's your granddaughter then Rort?" asked Jeremy.

"Gardenia," he explained, "She's my youngest's kid; her and my nephew Roark let me know you were battling her, so I figured I'd come see you."

"You're really related to Roark and Gardenia?" asked Jeremy.

"Aye," nodded Rort as he dabbed his forehead with a cloth, "His father is my little brother."

"That certainly explains how Gardenia spoke with Roark about Sam," added Niya, "She truly seemed interested in his battling skills, and no wonder. If Sam could defeat older cousin, and he was only the first of the Gym Leaders of the Sinnoh Region, then she would only want to know—naturally—how he could fare against her."

Sam's head spun as all of these relatives came to greet him.

Relatives and friends, and relatives of friends—it was almost too much, but Sam knew they meant well, and he realized they were all there for him, to support him and wish him well.

Sam smiled. "I…thank you, all of you," he smiled, "I know Lyss calls us family—you know the ones who travel. But seeing you all here, willing to support me and be with me when I'm taking on Gardenia—and it's only my second Gym Battle…I know that you're _all_ my family. You're there for me like family, and you're supporting me like family…I know I've only known some of you a few weeks, and others for years, but no matter how long I've known you all you've all been there for me like family would, so thank you."

Everyone beamed back at Sam, and their smiles made him happy. "Now come on, my boy!" cried Rort, "Let's get to this Gym Battle, we're not getting any younger!"

"You're right let's go!" yelled Sam happily as he walked from the Pokémon Centre, his "family" behind him.


	33. 31 - Eterna's Gym Leader

~ Chapter 31 ~

Eterna's Gym Leader

" _Having all of my close friends watching me at my second Gym Battle…made it possibly even more nerve racking than the first one. I could feel the pressure of having to live up to their expectations, and I understood that if I messed up, lost my cool, or lost the match I'd disappoint them—or so I thought. Despite my fears, there was this part of me that knew they would be there to support me no matter what. They were friends, practically family, and they would be there to support me no matter what, that's why they had come there to watch my Gym Battle, and for that I was and still am, truly grateful."_

Sam stood in front of the Gym door. His friends were behind him, silently watching him as he prepared to take his first steps into the second Gym Battle of his life.

Sam could feel the pressure mounting; even Pikachu—whom Jeremy had brought out on the way to the Gym—seemed to add more weight to the situation.

Sam breathed heavily, and then, with all the strength he could muster, he walked through the sliding glass door, and everyone else filed in behind him.

Sam and Gardenia locked eyes as Sam walked out onto the field. It was different from the rock and dirt field that he battled Roark on, this field was covered in grass and shrubbery, and a tree or two lay littered across the edge of the field. It appeared that Gym Leader's based their battlefields upon the element that they specialized in.

Sam knew this would get interesting.

Gardenia looked away from Sam long enough to watch his friends file in to the stands that were raised on either side of the field. "I see you've brought some spectators with you," she said, "Even my uncle Rort is on your side too…impressive."

"How so?" asked Sam, noticing how the talk with Gardenia seemed to calm him.

"Well, to think that you have this many people who believe in you," she smiled kindly, "And these are some big names too. Professor Rowan, Palmer the Tower Tycoon. But you also have your friends, that woman, my uncle Rort, and that child there. I'm sure my cousin Roark would even be here if he could. That's quite the accomplishment; congratulations."

Sam smiled and placed his hand on his ball belt. "Thank you," he said, drawing a Poké Ball, tapping the button in the middle that caused it to grow in his hand, "Shall we get things started then?"

"Pushy, are we?" asked Gardenia, drawing her first Poké Ball as well, "Very well, I suppose you did come for a Gym Battle after all. Judge read him the rules."

The judge stepped out onto the field, standing at the Centre of the field on the left side, out of the harm's way of the upcoming battle.

"The battle between Gardenia, the Leader of the Eterna Gym and Sam Accardi of Twinleaf Town is about to begin," he announced grandly, "Remember, this is a three on three Pokémon battle, and only the challenger is allowed to make substitutions. The battle is over when one person has defeated all three of the other's Pokémon. Are both participants ready?"

"I was born ready!" called Sam with determination.

"Let's do this then," said Gardenia, her girlish smile being replaced by a sudden look of concentration.

"Very well then," said the judge, "Begin!"

Sam and Gardenia tossed their Poké Balls into the air, releasing their Pokémon.

Gardenia's Pokémon landed on the field; a small Turtwig, similar to how Jeremy's had once been. This one seemed as fierce as Gardenia had become at the start of the battle, but Sam was prepared.

From his Poké Ball came Sam's Staravia; one of the proudest Pokémon Sam had ever met, and definitely one of his most prized so far, along with the others in his team.

Sam had been working especially hard with Staravia whenever he could lately, trying to test its limits and increase them. It was with Staravia that Sam had battled and captured the Honchkrow in Eterna Forest. The battle was matched until Staravia managed to gather enough strength to use another Steel Wing before collapsing again.

Sam was ready to face Gardenia; everything was riding on Staravia for victory.

"Staravia use Wing Attack on Turtwig!" shouted Sam, trying to strike his opponent first.

Gardenia, calm and collected, countered quickly. "Turtwig use Razor Leaf on Staravia! Take it out of the sky!"

"Dodge Staravia and use Tackle to get in close and bring Turtwig down!" cried Sam, a smile turning on his face.

Gardenia, prepared for anything it seemed, commanded Turtwig to jump in the air and dodge Staravia, but Sam was ready for even that.

After having battled Jupiter's Skuntank the other day, Sam was prepared for Pokémon that could jump.

"Staravia! Pull up and use Wing Attack on Turtwig! Take it out of the air!" called Sam.

Staravia did as commanded, and gently pulled up, spinning in a half loop, and slamming its wings into Turtwig, which sent the Pokémon flying across the stadium.

Sam took this opportunity to strike at Turtwig while it was down, but Gardenia was, again, prepared to strike back.

"Turtwig, Razor Leaf!" cried the green-haired Gym Leader.

"Staravia! Quickly, use Double Team and unleash and Aerial Ace when you get close!" reacted Sam quickly, not allowing Staravia to take the hit. He needed Staravia to last three rounds; damage now would mean it would be weaker later.

Staravia flew through the air, multiplying itself into several copies that confused Gardenia's Turtwig. Its leaves flew through the air, striking the several copies of Staravia. However, none of them were the real one and they disappeared as they were struck.

Gardenia's face looked shocked for the first time in the battle, as Staravia seemed to disappear from the battle. That was until it appeared again, briefly, behind Turtwig and dashed towards it in a glowing streak of light that was Aerial Ace.

Turtwig flew towards the other side of the field and hit the wall, bouncing on the ground before finally passing out.

Staravia returned to Sam's side as its opponent hit the ground and stood flapping its wings gently in the air as it hovered, waiting for the next Pokémon to be called out.

The judge raised his red flag towards Sam's direction, calling the match in his favor. "Turtwig is unable to battle, Sam is the victor of this round!" he called.

In the balconies, the spectators stared awestruck at Sam, though of them all, it was Alyssandra, Niya and Jeremy who seemed least impressed. Mostly because they had seen these tactics before while Sam trained to battle Gardenia.

Professor Rowan stroked his moustache, with Palmer sitting on his right looking impressed at Sam's battle skills.

"So that was his plan, huh?" asked Palmer aloud, "Get Turtwig off the ground and into the air and it'd be at the mercy of Staravia's quick flying."

"Yes, a very wise strategy indeed. Sam's good," said the Professor, staring hard between Sam, Staravia and Gardenia, "He's not quite _our_ level; but if Aurelio were here he'd be impressed…perhaps even a bit jealous that his grandson's catching on so fast."

Palmer laughed. "This is only his second Gym battle and his strategies are this good. Can you imagine how he'll be when he's finally ready to fight us?" Palmer grinned widely as he imagined it.

Professor Rowan smiled as he began to bounce his now fussy granddaughter on his knee, still watching Sam as he did. "I know," he said softly and nostalgically, "Keeping our promise to Aurelio is going to be…interesting—there's no doubt about that."

Palmer nodded. "Agreed. I just hope I don't lose…that's going to be embarrassing. It was hard enough being trumped by the old man repeatedly."

Rowan chuckled heartily. "I lived through sixty years of it," he smiled, "You'll get used to it…besides Sam is supposed to win—and we're supposed to make sure he does."

"Still, it's not like we're supposed to make it _easy_ for him. He needs to work hard if he wants to beat us." said Palmer, his arms crossed, "Well…regardless, it is nice to see how much he's grown."

"Yes, yes it certainly has," said Rowan, serious once again, "Nancy will be happy to hear about this."

Rort, sitting in the front row beside Jeremy and his mother, called out to Sam. "Come on, boy!" he cried, "That's it, show her how to battle! You can win this!"

Niya and Linda were the next to cheer him on. "Come on Sam!" they cried together.

Alyssandra and Jeremy whooped, trying to pump Sam up and get him going for the second round.

Sam smiled as he watched his friends cheer him on, their cries—even those of young Sakura—were encouraging, and it allowed him to get back into the battling mindset for the next round.

Gardenia stared at Sam, recalling her Turtwig, as she—no doubt—ran over a new strategy in her head. "You're good," said Gardenia, "Just as good as Roark said you were—in fact, I'm surprised I underestimated you like this…then again I've always been stubborn. And besides, I'm not done yet. In fact, I'm just getting started!"

Gardenia drew her next Poké Ball and tossed it into the air. From the Poké Ball, burst a dancing Cherrim, in its Sunshine Form.

Sam smiled, he knew exactly how to deal with one from battling and watching Alyssandra's.

Still, Sam wasn't going to take any chances, and take nothing for granted. If he underestimated Gardenia now she'd get the upper hand; and Sam had been instructed better than that.

"All right Staravia, how are you?" asked Sam.

Staravia nodded with determination. "Staraaaaavia!" his Pokémon cried.

"All right then, hang in there a little longer," said Sam, "We'll be done soon."

"I wouldn't bet on it," said Gardenia, "Now that I have a sense of what you're all about, I'm going to do everything in my power to stop you."

"You can try," said Sam, "Staravia! Wing Attack!"

Staravia shot off like a bullet, the time spent on its speed flying paid off. It hurtled through the air in a blur of black and white and aimed its wings for Cherrim, still dancing blissfully on its side of the field.

But as Staravia neared its opponent its attack simply bounced off an instantly appearing orange sphere, while the small Pokémon just danced and spun. Staravia stood there, hovering in front of Cherrim while Sam was trying to figure what was going on.

"Was that Protect, or Reflect?" asked Sam, "Is it deflecting my attack?"

Sam didn't have much time to think though, as the green orb went down a Gardenia called for Cherrim to unleash a Magical Leaf.

Sam called on Staravia, but the Pokémon just barely managed to dodge.

The leaves grazed Staravia's wing, causing it to plummet slightly before regaining control of its flight once more.

Sam knew that getting too close to Cherrim meant coming face to face with its defense and offence. He was in a tough position, and he only had a few ways of getting around it, very few of which were possible at this time. The only way Sam could see working was if he wore down the reflective attack.

"I know that attack," said Alyssandra, "That's Safeguard."

"What do you mean?" asked Jeremy, "How can you tell?"

"I had considered teaching that move to my Cherrim, but I changed my mind. Sam be careful!" Sam turned his attention to Alyssandra. "That move is Safeguard! It'll defend against all attacks!" she cried, "You'll need to find another way around it!"

Sam's strategy changed in an instant and he knew what he had to do, he needed to wear out the Cherrim, not the barrier, so he could land a strike. It could only use Safeguard so often before it tired out, and Sam was determined to throw everything he and Staravia had at the barrier.

"Staravia use Steel Wing on Cherrim's Safeguard!" called Sam.

Staravia flew into the air to put some distance between it and its opponent, then it flew straight down with its wings glowing white. As it landed the strike, its wings clanged against the hard barrier that prevented Cherrim from being damaged.

"You're not going to be able to get through the barrier by using stronger attacks," said Gardenia, "This battle isn't that easy. I'm not just some kid you find travelling the Sinnoh Region, I'm a Gym Leader."

Sam smiled. "I never thought a stronger attack would work," he called back, "But many stronger attacks might just work. Keep going Staravia, don't stop until you break through!"

Staravia spun in the air and flew back towards Cherrim at top speeds, slamming its wings into the Safeguard again. Staravia didn't quit, and kept up its attacks, smashing them into the protective barrier while bouncing off each time.

"What's he trying to do?" asked Jeremy's mother, "His Pokémon's going to get tired if he keeps this up."

"He doesn't have much other choice," said Rort, "But the way I see it is, Cherrim can only use Safeguard so often before Staravia finally wears it down and breaks through. By then both Pokémon will be exhausted, but Sam's hoping he'll at least be able to strike another time with Staravia before it goes down as well."

"He can't do that. He'll be down his only Flying type Pokémon," protested Jeremy, "Gardenia still has one more Pokémon left, and Sam only has his Cranidos and Empoleon, and neither of them are the right type to battle a Grass type Pokémon."

"Staravia and Luxray weren't the right type to battle against Roark's Pokémon either, remember?" asked Niya, who was sitting in the second row beside Professor Rowan and his granddaughter, "And somehow he still managed to beat them."

"Yeah but they knew moves that had the type advantage," continued Jeremy, "Cranidos has never battled with Sam before and Empoleon doesn't know anything that can take down a Grass type Pokémon."

"Don't worry, Sam knows what he's doing," said Palmer suddenly, "He's Aurelio's grandson and he's an Accardi. It's in his blood—he'll make it out all right. If anything, he's more stubborn than strategic when it comes down to it, and his Pokémon seem to reflect that part of him as well. I've been with my Pokémon for years, and they seem to have taken on a few of my characteristics. It would seem Sam's Pokémon have taken on his determination and stubbornness."

"Great, I thought one Sam was bad enough," laughed Alyssandra as she turned to face the others.

"I thought one was all you needed?" returned Niya with a raised eyebrow and a small smile.

Alyssandra's face turned red and she quickly turned back to the battle.

Niya and Jeremy chuckled, knowing it was only in good fun, but Linda turned to Jeremy and tapped him on the arm with a stern look.

"You shouldn't make fun of her," she hissed, "You know how shy she is about that topic."

Palmer watched the exchange while Rowan took care of his granddaughter, and then looked over at the Professor. "Do you think she…?" asked Palmer.

Rowan nodded. "Nancy and Aurelio seemed to think so. Of course, it's not like they ever had the chance to prove it—for either of them. However, should she turn out to be…well it'll save us the trouble."

Palmer nodded. "He better not be as nervous about it as his grandfather was," laughed Palmer, "Took him three months too long from what I heard."

"Well, I did do a lot of the mediating between research, so I suppose that didn't help," laughed Professor Rowan.

With that everyone's focus returned to the match.

Staravia had continued to strike at Cherrim, and Sam could see the opponent was tiring, but so was Staravia. On the plus side, the Safeguard was wearing down with each successive strike, and Sam knew that this last strike would be the one that ended it…so he hoped.

"Let's try one more time, shall we Staravia?" asked Sam.

He noticed that Cherrim had stopped dancing, and it no longer had the energy to jump around as happily as before. This Safeguard would hopefully be the last.

Staravia dashed towards Cherrim, fully ready for whatever the outcome, and as its wings collided with the barrier, it came down and Staravia proceeded to strike Cherrim, who went flying from the impact of Staravia's Steel Wing. Cherrim wasn't done however, and at the instant call of its Trainer, it was up and launching a storm of Magical Leaf towards Staravia.

Before long, it was all Staravia could do to fly and avoid being struck by the leaves, but all of the exhaustion it had built up from trying to bring down the Safeguard started to catch up to the Pokémon. Soon it was sitting on the ground, out of breath and scratched up from the attacks.

Gardenia had used Sam's strategy against him.

A single Magical Leaf might not affect Staravia as badly because it was at a type disadvantage, but not even Staravia could withstand multiple Magical Leaf attacks and not take some damage from it.

Gardenia was good, Sam had to admit, but he was far from giving up.

"This may be your last battle for the day, Staravia, do you think you could try just a bit longer?" asked Sam, hoping his Pokémon wasn't too injured from being pushed this far.

Staravia nodded, not saying anything, and at that Sam called for an attack. "Wing Attack, Staravia!" cried Sam, "Put everything you have left into it and take down Cherrim!"

Staravia nodded again and shot off towards Cherrim.

Gardenia was ready however and called to her Pokémon. "Leech Seed!" she called to her Cherrim. The two Pokémon faced off, with Cherrim shooting a seed at Staravia that began to constrict it and suck away its energy, while Staravia managed through all of this to stay in flight and land the attack.

Sam saw both Pokémon weakening as they drew closer together, and finally Staravia, beyond all doubts, slammed its wings into Cherrim before collapsing into the grassy field, exhausted and drained of its energy.

Cherrim flew back as well, skidded across the field and hitting the back wall with a light thud.

Within seconds the two Pokémon were declared unable to battle and fell unconscious.

It had been a battle of wills and both Pokémon refused to give in, and as a result they had won out against each other…to no avail unfortunately. Professor Rowan continued to stroke his moustache as he watched the battle.

"Not a bad strategy, but it does put his best Pokémon for this battle out of commission," he said, "I'm not sure what Sam's planning but I'm sure he'll think of something."

"He better or he's putting his ancestry to shame," laughed Palmer.

Rowan gave Palmer a look, but he wasn't paying attention, and was too fixated on the match to even notice.

Jeremy had turned to Alyssandra and began talking strategy with her. "Sam's going to have a hard time in this last round," he said worriedly, "Will his remaining Pokémon be able to hold off Gardenia's? They're pretty strong, and Sam's Pokémon _are_ at the type disadvantage as well."

"I told you he'll do fine," said Alyssandra, though uncertainty showed through her otherwise confident tone, "He's pushed through before."

Niya sat on her bench, silent and watching the match with intent. She had nothing to say about the situation, not like everyone else did. But she knew this next round was going to be close, and it would definitely be instrumental in determining the fate of the battle.

If Sam lost his Empoleon or Cranidos to Gardenia's final Pokémon, he would lose.

But if he could somehow manage to take down Gardenia's Pokémon, even if both Pokémon collapse, he'll still have won the match.

As Sam's mentor, she could feel his pressure, as she hoped by some luck that Sam would remember and utilize everything she had taught him while they travelled. She had done her best to try and make sure he'd be prepared for any situation with a Gym Leader after all, and it was only natural that she wanted her work to pay off.

Sam bit his lip as he thought through his next moves.

Gardenia had already chosen her final Poké Ball. He didn't know what Pokémon to expect, but he knew it was going to be her strongest yet, and definitely a Grass type.

Sam exhaled, and regained his composure. He knew what he had to do. "I guess you leave me no choice," sighed Sam going for a Poké Ball at his belt.

"He's picked!" exclaimed Sakura.

Everyone in the stands looked at her, not even noticing that she was paying attention.

"She's just as observant as you when she wants to be," laughed Palmer finally, but Professor Rowan only rolled his eyes, and with that everyone's attention turned back to the battle.

All Alyssandra could find herself thinking was, "Which Pokémon _did_ he choose?"

She knew either of his choices were going to mean a tough battle…but had Sam chosen the lesser of two evils? Only time would tell.

Gardenia smiled as she watched Sam grab his next Poké Ball. "Have you decided to finally give up?" she asked, "I understand you're down to your last two Pokémon, neither of whom have a good advantage against my Pokémon."

Sam only smiled and gently tossed his Poké Ball up into the air and caught it again, doing this repeatedly as he spoke. "You should have noticed by now, I'm not giving up for anything," said Sam defiantly, "I'm going to defeat you, and then I'm going to get all of my badges, and when that happens, I'm going for the Championships."

"Get by me and we'll see where you go from there," smiled Gardenia before throwing her Poké Ball into the air. "Go, Roserade!" she cried.

Sam threw his own Poké Ball. "Go, Empoleon!" he called, smiling widely as he laid his eyes on his opponent.

Niya, Alyssandra and Jeremy lit up as they saw Gardenia's Roserade land on the field. Sam had picked the right Pokémon to fight, and it couldn't have been a better match.

"Empoleon, Metal Claw!" cried Sam.

But Gardenia didn't let Empoleon move far before calling out an attack of her own. "Poison Sting," she said calmly.

Roserade lowered its hands parallel with the ground and shot thousands of glowing needles at Empoleon.

Sam said nothing and let Empoleon defend from Poison Sting as it had in the past. Empoleon raised his glowing metal fins and allowed the Metal Claw attack to block the poisoned darts.

"Charge in with a Peck Empoleon!" cried Sam, hoping to get Empoleon closer to Roserade. But Gardenia was not about to let that happen, and commanded Roserade to use Grass Knot.

Several blades of grass that rested at Empoleon's feet sprang to life and twisted themselves into a sinister knot that trapped the Pokémon's foot, and tripped it. As Empoleon hit the ground, Roserade jumped into the air and launched a Magical Leaf attack that sent Empoleon flying back towards Sam, skidding to a halt at his feet.

Sam knelt-down and placed his hand on Empoleon. "Empoleon are you okay?!" asked Sam frantically. He had not expected the Grass Knot attack, but he _had_ expected a Magical Leaf.

Sam was hoping to avoid that problem, because he knew even a single strike from a Grass type attack could put Sam in a bad position for the rest of the battle.

Empoleon stirred though, and stood up, ready to continue fighting. "Empooooooleon!" roared the Pokémon in a deep and strong voice.

Sam was thankful that it could continue to fight, but he knew he needed to end this battle soon. Empoleon couldn't take too many more Magical Leaf attacks.

"All right Empoleon, I think it's time we mix things up a bit," said Sam, "Charge in at Roserade!"

Gardenia prepared a reaction. "Roserade, Stun Spore!" she commanded.

Sam was quick to react as well. "Dodge it Empoleon and jump into the air!"

Empoleon jumped high into the air as the cloud of orange dust erupted from the flowery hands of Roserade and flew towards it. If even a small bit of that dust touched Empoleon it would be unable to move for the rest of the battle. And then the hopes would fall on an untrained, previously unused Cranidos. A Pokémon that Sam didn't yet feel like betting on yet.

"Empoleon, you know what to do!" cried Sam.

Empoleon nodded. "Poleon!" it cried quickly before pulling into a swan dive towards Roserade, spinning as it prepared a Peck attack.

"Dodge it Roserade!" commanded Gardenia, knowing that an attack like that might damage Roserade worse than she'd care to admit.

Roserade dodged, jumping back slightly, causing Empoleon to land in the field with a loud, exploding thud. The collision caused a small crater to explode itself into existence, while dust flew into the air and covered the battlefield.

Empoleon shot from the dust with a loud. "Empoleon!", then swung a Metal Claw attack at Roserade that landed and sent the Pokémon flying back.

Empoleon wasn't finished yet, however, and continued by jumping into the air and spinning towards Roserade with another Peck like a drill. Empoleon's attack connected and sent the Pokémon flying back even further, causing Roserade to hit the wall and slid to the ground.

As Empoleon landed from its attack, it jumped backwards, standing beside Sam.

Sam smiled. "I told you I wasn't giving in yet," said Sam, "I thought Roark would have warned you better."

Gardenia gritted her teeth as she looked between Sam and his Empoleon.

Truthfully, she thought half of what Roark had said about Sam was over exaggerated, but now she knew he was telling the truth. The boy was skilled, and his Pokémon were just as skilled. Empoleon, still a Prinplup when Roark battled it, acted on its own, but it was like it knew exactly what Sam was thinking.

"Can a tame Pokémon do that?" asked Linda, "Act without its Trainer giving it commands?"

Professor Rowan stroked his moustache as he thought of an answer. Most of the spectators were out of their seats with disbelief and awe while they watched Empoleon attack Roserade, and now they looked towards Professor Rowan for an explanation.

"I've never seen anything like it, to be honest," said Rowan slowly, "I've heard stories from my cousin in Kanto, Professor Oak, that when some Pokémon are closely bonded to a Trainer, they seem to be able to understand the Trainer better, even to the point where they seem able to read a Trainer's mind. I've never witnessed anything like that before though…I thought it was just myth until now."

"Well, it just goes to show that there are things even science can't explain in this world," said Palmer.

With that everyone returned to their seats and continued to watch where the match would go next.

"This boy's got skill," said Rort as he kept watching, "I knew his Pokémon were good when I saw his Luxray battle that Ambipom…but I never imagined _he_ was this good. I don't think I've seen Gardenia pushed to her limits like this before."

Sam was preparing his next move, while Gardenia was still fretting over Roserade. But when Roserade stood up, still ready to attack, Sam knew the battle was going on.

"All right Empoleon, this is probably going to be the last move, are you ready?" asked Sam.

Sam was right, Empoleon took some damage from that failed dive, and even if it had recovered nicely, the Magical Leaf earlier had done its bit, not to mention it was exhausted.

Roserade itself was in bad shape, having been hit pretty hard by Peck and Metal Claw, and then hitting the wall. Whoever struck harder in this battle would win; there was no doubt about that.

Silence settled over the stadium as the two Pokémon and their Trainers prepared for the final assault.

Empoleon didn't have it in him to strike again in a fancy way like before…no, something simple was going to be the only possibility. But that would require either getting close to Roserade or using a long-range attack, neither of which would work well without proper planning.

There was only one other alternative.

Gardenia struck first, calling her command to Roserade. "Magical Leaf, Roserade!" she shouted.

"Empoleon, use Bide!" said Sam.

Empoleon began to glow with a ring of white light, and several glowing leaves flew towards Empoleon. Each leaf struck, and when Gardenia realized Empoleon wasn't going to move, she increased the length of the attack, having Roserade hold the attack as long as possible.

Leaf after leaf struck Empoleon, doing more damage each time.

Finally, Roserade ceased the attack, and Gardenia stood there smiling,

"This battle is over," she said simply, "Your Empoleon could not have withstood that."

Sam looked over at Empoleon, it was swaying side to side, it was weakened, and it wasn't going to last much longer he knew, but he had one last trick up his sleeve.

"Now Empoleon! Unleash it!" called Sam.

Empoleon opened its eyes and its beak and in a large flash of green whirlwinds, returned a torrential Magical Leaf towards Roserade.

The leaves struck Roserade and sent it flying back against the wall again, pinning it there as the move continued.

Finally, as it died down, Roserade hit the ground unconscious, while Empoleon fell to one knee, out of breath and exhausted.

"Roserade is unable to battle, Sam is the winner of this match!" cried the judge.

Everyone in the stands shouted in celebration, with Niya, Jeremy and Alyssandra running out into the field hugging Sam and celebrating with him.

Sam knelt down before his friends reached him, and gently patted Empoleon on the back, thanking it and returning to its Poké Ball before standing up and group hugging his friends.

Meanwhile, Gardenia stared hard at Sam, and looked at her Roserade, which she now cradled in her arms.

"You did a good job, Roserade, I'm sorry you lost," she said, "Have a good long rest."

After Gardenia returned Roserade to its Poké Ball, she walked over to Sam and his friends.

There was a pause in the cheering as Sam watched Gardenia warily.

With a sigh Gardenia held out her hand, revealing the Forest Badge. "You earned it, Sam," she said with a sense of defeat, "I'll be honest I never took Roark seriously when he said you were good. I also didn't expect Empoleon to act on its own—it's not something you see all the time you know? Anyway, I'm indebted to you for saving this city from Team Galactic, and for giving me a good idea of my strengths and weaknesses."

Sam took the Forest Badge and smiled at Gardenia. "Are you kidding?" he asked, "I've never had more fun battling in my life, and you pushed me and my Pokémon to our limits and helped make us even stronger. Thank _you._ "

Gardenia smiled back. "You'd better get going," she said, "I have to clean up here and—"

Sam shook his head. "Why don't you join us for the celebration dinner? My treat."

"I…well, I suppose I can clean up later," said Gardenia, her eyes twinkling with joy, "Just give me a sec to get my Pokémon strapped into the healing machines and I'll come with, all right?"

Sam nodded. "We'll meet you outside."

With that, Gardenia ran towards a doorway at the far end of the Gym and disappeared while Sam, Niya, Jeremy and Alyssandra walked out into the street; the adults staying behind, locked in conversation.

"I must admit that was quite an amazing battle to witness," said Rort to Jeremy's mother as he and Linda walked towards the door but stopped just in front of it to continue their conversation.

"I've never seen him battle before," admitted Linda, "But he truly is good, he's tactical and he's smart. He's always been that way though, I guess its naturally translated into his battling skills."

Rort laughed heartily. "Aye, he'll do well in the Sinnoh League, I can see him becoming Champion," he smiled, "He'll make a great Champion—he'll definitely be hard to beat, that's for sure."

As Linda and Rort continued their conversation, Professor Rowan was locked in a deep and quieted conversation that started shortly after Rowan sent his granddaughter out with Sam and the others.

"Aurelio would have been shocked by today," said Rowan, "He also would have been pleased and proud."

"Nancy would have been too," smiled Palmer, "The boy is good; you know, I'm proud myself? The boys never had a father and I've never had any kids…I sort of feel like a stand in father for him and vice versa…especially after Aurelio died."

"Well you know _why_ ," said Rowan solemnly, "But I do understand how you feel, I'm proud of him myself. Alyssandra said that we're all like a family…she's not wrong." Rowan chuckled, but Palmer's face soon grew serious.

"So, what do we do?" he asked, "Wait?"

"That's what Nancy and Aurelio told us to do," said Rowan as he and Palmer stood up, "I don't see what else we could do. Except give him this." Professor Rowan flashed something to Palmer, and then put it back in his waistcoat pocket.

"He's ready for it?" asked Palmer, "I didn't think he'd grown so much."

"If Aurelio was right, then he was ready for it a long time ago," sighed Rowan, "But what kind of grandfather shoves that much responsibility on to a boy's shoulders? Besides, after the incident not too long-ago, Nancy thought it was best he wore it. The boy may not know it but he's safer with this on."

"That's true," said Palmer, "So, in the mean time?"

"We do what we can to help him without revealing the truth," said Rowan softly, stopping before the two got any closer to Linda and Rort, "That and follow Nancy's orders. I'm sure she'll tell the boy soon, and as long as nothing happens that can't be explained then we don't have to worry about spoiling anything."

"What if he comes into contact with a Dragon Pokémon?" asked Palmer, "You don't think something will show itself then?"

Rowan shook his head, but doubt filled his mind slowly. "What about it?" he asked gruffly, "It can be explained…just—no, it'll be fine. Come on, let's get going before the kids start wondering where we are."

Palmer nodded and followed the old Professor towards the door.

Meanwhile outside, the group was still celebrating, cheering Sam on, and clapping him on the back. Every win was a win for everyone, and another stepping-stone towards everyone reaching their dreams.

"When she pulled out that Roserade I knew that you had this match in the bag," exclaimed Alyssandra.

"Well it's not like she knew that I battle Niya's Roserade on a regular basis," explained Sam, "And I couldn't count on any of the moves being the same—besides, I was only really expecting the Magical Leaf."

"That reminds me," added Niya, "You took a big chance on that last move. If Empoleon had fainted before it was able to return the attack you would have been done for. I told you don't take chances like that."

"If Sam didn't take chances the world wouldn't spin the right way," laughed Jeremy, "It's what he does."

Niya looked at Jeremy, but a smile broke across her face and she simply sighed. "Still, be careful in the future," she said to Sam, "You be mindful of your Pokémon. But congratulations on winning, I'm really proud of you."

"I had a great teacher," smiled Sam, causing Niya to roll her eyes but regardless, she hugged him.

The group's celebration was cut short as Sakura tugged at Sam's jacket. "Excuse me, Sammy?" asked the little girl, "Where are we going for dinner? Can I have pizza?"

Sam smiled down at Sakura and patted her on the head. "You guys okay with it?" he asked the others, to which they nodded yes, "All right Sakura, pizza it is." Sam smiled.

Sakura jumped up cheerfully. "Yay!" she cheered.

Within a few minutes, Gardenia had exited the Gym, ready to go eat, while Professor Rowan, Palmer and the other adults came out to join the group a few moments later.

"So, Sam, since you're paying where are we going?" asked Palmer.

"Pizza," said Sam simply, "Sakura here wants some, and I'm more than happy to oblige."

"Sakura, you know you can't just go demanding—" started Professor Rowan, but Sam raised his hand to silence the old man.

"Don't worry about it," he said gently, "I'll eat anything and everyone else was okay with it, if you guys are as well we'll get going."

Rort and Linda nodded. "I've got no problems with it," said Rort.

"Neither do I," smiled Linda, "I think it's cute that Sakura's not shy to speak her mind."

"I'm good with anything! I'm starved after that battle," said Gardenia.

Palmer shrugged. "Food is food," he smirked.

"Then it's settled," said Sam, "Pizza it is. Let's go!"

The group walked down the street, Sakura held Sam's hand the entire time and refused to leave his side the entire night, even persuading Alyssandra to let her sit next to him at dinner.

Sam only laughed at the young girl's tenacity, though Professor Rowan only sighed and apologized.

The whole while the people going about their lives inside of the restaurant kept looking at them as if they were odd. They were laughing and talking and even at one-point singing.

Sam knew that in a few hours they'd have to go their separate ways again, and it would just be him and his friends once more, but Sam didn't mind. He wanted to enjoy the time they had together while it lasted, and Sam couldn't remember a better night in his life before that day. He was contented.


	34. 32 - The Necklace

~ Chapter 32 ~

The Necklace

" _We said goodbye to Palmer shortly after the dinner; he had to return to the Fight Area and battle someone who challenged him in the Battle Tower. Rort left soon after as well, having to return home to his wife, and to his job the next day. Gardenia left with Rort, needing to get the Gym cleaned up for her battles tomorrow. In the end it was just Mrs. De Oliveira, Professor Rowan, Sakura, and the rest of us. We stayed at the Pokémon Centre for an extra day, resting up our Pokémon and ourselves before moving along. There was something going on with Professor Rowan when he left though…combined with what he gave me…had I known then what I know now about it I probably would have quit being a Pokémon Trainer a long time ago…or maybe I'd just face my fate a lot sooner. Ha-ha, I am a stubborn person after all."_

Sam stood at the door. Professor Rowan, Sakura Oak, and Mrs. De Oliveira stood in front of him, ready to return to Twinleaf Town by a soon arriving Fearow from the NFTS.

By Sam stood Jeremy, Niya and Alyssandra, all of them sad to say goodbye to their friends.

"You fought well, the other day Sam," said Professor Rowan proudly, "I'm proud that you were able to defeat Gardenia; and I'm also surprised that your Empoleon could read your mind and act on its own like that."

"I am too, actually," said Sam smiling, "It's done it a few times before; the first time I never expected it…the second time was sort of…more natural I suppose? Ever since it disobeyed my orders that first time in favor of a better plan, I've sort of let it have its own free reign during some battles, it's paid off."

Professor Rowan nodded slowly. "Well whatever you're doing with your Pokémon to raise them, keep doing it," he smiled brightly, "You're Pokémon are growing quickly, they look happy, and they're strong. You're the protégé your grandfather would have wanted, and if your grandmother were here she would have been speechless at your skill."

"Well, I thank Palmer and all those years of Shogi and Chess," said Sam, "It gave me a very strategically-based outlook on life."

"That's good, that's good!" exclaimed the Professor, "A Pokémon battle is no different from a game of Shogi or Chess. It is, if anything, exactly the same."

Sam laughed. "Yeah, I suppose you're right," ceded Sam, "Are you sure my grandmother's okay, by the way?"

While Sam continued his conversation with the professor, Jeremy and Alyssandra bid their goodbyes to Linda, while Niya had become Sakura's latest obsession and was playing with her as she waited for the adults.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay alone out there?" asked Jeremy's mother.

Jeremy sighed. "Yes, mother," he said, "I have Lyss, Sam and Niya here; I'll be all right."

"Are you sure though? What if there's more rainstorms?" she asked, fawning over Jeremy, and straightening his jacket on his body, "You could catch a cold, or get hurt."

"Mom," groaned Jeremy, "I told you I'm fine—besides you've never worried about me this much when you were on the videophone!"

"I've never had a chance to do it in person before," smiled Jeremy's mother happily, "I am a mother, and you are my son, this is what I do."

Alyssandra averted her eyes, trying not to embarrass Jeremy more than he already was. The blushing was bad enough, but if he caught Alyssandra smirking she would never hear the end of it.

Finally, after Jeremy managed to shove his mother off of him, and get her to relax on her mothering, Alyssandra turned back her attention.

"Well, I suppose this is where I'll leave you then," she said, staring at her son with a sense of pride that only a mother could convey.

"Yeah," said Jeremy slowly, "Look mom—"

Jeremy cut himself off midsentence, blurting that out as if out of context.

Alyssandra watched this altercation with intrigue, and only after noticed that everyone had paused to watch after Jeremy had screamed his last few words.

"What's wrong, dear?" asked Mrs. De Oliveira, as she did, Professor Rowan stepped forward slightly, ready to intervene if needed, but Jeremy continued his sentence soon enough.

"Mom, I want to be a Pokémon Ranger," said Jeremy quickly, "I want to be a Pokémon Ranger; I want to go out and help people, with Pikachu by my side. Together we're going to go out and join the Ranger's League, and we're going to travel all over the world."

There was a long moment of silence, and Professor Rowan, now standing down as he realized that Jeremy had spoken on his own, was re-prepared to step in just in case.

Finally, after a long silence, Linda smiled widely and drew her son into a hug. "Of course, you do dear," she said happily "I always knew you'd do something to help the world be a better place. I'm so glad I raised you right."

"I, uh, thanks mom…" said Jeremy with confusion as he took this moment in, "I just thought…well I thought you'd take a bit harder than you did. I would mean I wouldn't be home a lot anymore—probably only on visits—and I wouldn't be with Sam or Lyss or Niya anymore, so you'd be worried that no one is there watching over me."

"Oh dear," chuckled Linda, "You'd have Pikachu with you, wouldn't you?"

Jeremy nodded.

"Well then, I trust you'll do fine," continued Mrs. De Oliveira, "Pikachu would care for you, and I'm sure you'd meet up with your friends once and a while. Besides, so long as you call home and visit so I know you're safe—that's all I ask of you."

"I…thank you mom," smiled Jeremy, hugging his mother tightly.

It was then that he realized his mother was going to miss him, but so long as he was doing something worthwhile with his life, something that he'd always dreamed and wanted to do, and something that made a difference in the world that she could be proud of, she would always support him, as would the rest of his family.

Jeremy smiled, happy that his mother was happy for him. The moment was cut short, as a tapping on the glass door of the Pokémon Centre signified that the Fearow had arrived and were eager to get going.

"I suppose we'd best be off then," said Professor Rowan as he picked up his brief case, "Children it has been a pleasure spending these past few days with you, but I'm sure we'll see each other again—perhaps at Alyssandra's next contest."

"Thank you so much for coming you guys!" said Alyssandra gratefully, "We'll call you all soon."

"You promise?" asked Linda.

"We promise mother, we promise," sighed Jeremy.

Niya laughed. "I'll make _sure_ they do, Mrs. De Oliveira," smirked Niya, "We'll call you before we enter Mount Coronet, all right?"

"Perfect!" chimed Jeremy's mother, "I'll see you all later then!"

With that, Jeremy's mother left the Pokémon Centre to board the Fearow outside.

Sakura, though initially supposed to go with her, stayed behind and clutched at her grandfather's hand timidly.

Sam and Niya bent down to say goodbye to the young girl, as they were the only ones she'd let approach her.

"Goodbye Sakura," said Sam with a kind smile, placing his hand on her head and ruffling her hair a little.

Sakura blushed a bit as he did and looked as if she was going to fall over with shyness.

Niya was the next to say goodbye, giving her a short, tight hug. "I had a fun time playing with you, Sakura, I'm sure we'll meet again, okay?" said Niya.

Sakura smiled at Niya, though still timid, and refused to say anything.

Sam stood up afterwards and faced Professor Rowan for the last time before he left. "At least let me pay for your Fearow ride," said Sam, trying to urge the Professor to take the money from him, "It was for me you came all the way out here—"

"I'll hear none of that now," said Professor Rowan sternly, "I chose to come out here, as did Linda. We will take care of this, all right?"

Sam sighed, "All right then, I give up," he laughed.

"That reminds me though!" he said as he cleared his throat.

The Professor reached into the pocket of his waistcoat and rummaged around for something in it. As he drew out his hand, it was revealed that he had pulled out a necklace. A small, black crystal in the sort of shape you would find quartz forming, attached to the crystal was a metal band that wrapped around the top of it and hooked it up to a small metal chain. The crystal itself shone like a black star, and it was warm to touch.

Sam recognized this crystal. "It was my grandfathers…my grandmother has one just like it," he said softly as he took the crystal into his hands, "I didn't think…I mean…how did you?"

"Your grandmother wanted me to bring it to you," explained Professor Rowan, "She wanted to give it to you herself, but she's not been feeling well. She figured that you were ready to wear it."

Sam was speechless, but he grasped the crystal tightly. The warmth seemed to grow as he held it, and he felt a weird connection and familiarity to the object, like a thousand friendly souls reached out to him and welcomed him like an old friend. He felt safe, he felt protected and he felt like someone was watching over him and keeping him from harm.

"I've never heard the story behind this necklace," said Sam softly, "But I know there is one; you wouldn't happen to know it would you Professor?"

The Professor looked down at Sam, a sudden worry in his eyes as if he couldn't respond properly, but he was cut off from answering by a tap at the window.

His granddaughter, on the back of a Fearow, was growing impatient waiting for the Professor, and the Fearow weren't too happy about it either. "Oh, I must go," he said grabbing his briefcase off the floor once more and walking towards the door, "The tale will have to wait Sam! Oh, and if you're going down Cycling Road, don't forget—there's a small cave just below the road, about halfway down. It's full of rare and wild Pokémon, I even here there's a herd of Gible, Garchomp and Gabite down there as well. All right then, bye children!"

With that Professor Rowan was gone, and the four teenagers were alone again.

"I guess it's just us again," sighed Niya, "It's unfortunate…I'm going to miss the sanity."

Jeremy rolled his eyes. "You're not a breath of fresh air either," he joked, "Besides, we were fine before you came and joined us."

Niya elbowed Jeremy in the gut for his comment, leaving the boy winded. But Alyssandra, instead of stopping them, walked towards Sam, who stood by the door staring out at the spot where Professor Rowan and the Fearow had just been.

"What's that necklace?" she asked softly, placing a gentle, caring hand on his shoulder.

Sam turned around slowly and looked at Alyssandra. "It belonged to my grandfather," explained Sam, "He always wore it and never took it off. When he died I was sure they buried it with him but…I never expected I'd be holding it one day as my own."

Alyssandra went to pick it from Sam's hand carefully, giving him a gentle look as if to ask if it was all right.

Sam placed the necklace in her hand, and as the crystal left his touch the feelings of safety and familiarity were gone, and he felt alone again.

Standing amongst his friends, and Sam was alone. He felt vulnerable and naked, and he felt as if he might be attacked at any second.

Alyssandra clutched the necklace tightly in her hand after examining, "It feels so—" she started.

"Warm," finished Sam, "I know. Feels familiar too, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, it does," Alyssandra said smiling, "It feels like thousands of voices are welcoming you? Caring for you?"

Sam smiled with a nod. "It makes you feel safe," he said happily, "And it makes you feel protected. That's amazing, I never met anyone else who felt those same things I did in the necklace."

Alyssandra gave Sam a bright smile and stepped behind him quickly. "Well, then today might be your lucky day," laughed Alyssandra, "I hear when friends are close enough, they start to think alike."

As Alyssandra spoke she placed the necklace around Sam's neck and fastened the metal clasps of the chain that held the necklace together.

"I should hope not," said Sam sarcastically, "Otherwise I'm going to want to start dressing all frilly and painting my nails and gossiping about girl things."

Alyssandra tightened the necklace slightly in a joking manner but loosened it again and Sam regained his breath.

"Careful," he warned jokingly.

"Oh, I'm sorry did I make it too tight?" smirked Alyssandra as she stepped back and admired her work, "I think it looks cool; you look good in the necklace."

The feelings from before returned to Sam, and he touched his hand to the black crystal that swung from his neck.

"You think so?" asked Sam.

Niya interjected into the conversation with a snorting laugh. "You girls done with your jewelry? I'd like to get moving on our adventures," she said jokingly.

Jeremy laughed as well and added. "Yeah, I agree with Niya," he said, "The diamonds will have to wait, for now let's focus on catching some new Pokémon."

Sam rolled his eyes. "You two are so kind and understanding."

"Leave him alone," said Alyssandra defensively, though she knew they were only kidding in truth, "He has a sentimental tie to this necklace; and I think he looks good—so there."

Niya only smiled at Alyssandra, which gained her an unimpressed look from the latter.

Finally, side-by-side, the group walked from the Pokémon Centre towards the city exit that led to Cycling Road.

"Uh, guys, said Jeremy as they walked towards their goal, "You know we don't have bikes, right? I don't suppose we can go through Cycling Road without one."

"You _do_ have a point, Jerry," said Niya, who ignored Jeremy's protests about the nickname, "Where are we getting the bikes and how much is this costing Sam?"

Sam sighed and laughed. "We'll probably find a place to rent some bikes by the Road; it shouldn't cost too much, but hey, I'm loaded remember?"

Niya slung her arm around Sam and smiled at him. "Good, that's how I like my friends," she joked, "Loaded and willing to pay for everything."

Sam rolled his eyes, but laughed, knowing Niya was only joking.

"What a tortured friendship we have with each other," sighed Alyssandra, "I swear, anyone else might think we hate each other."

"Us, hate each other?" asked Jeremy with a bright smile, "Never!"

"And thank goodness to that!" cheered Niya and Sam, which caused the rest of the group to break down laughing. These were the times of their lives they would always remember, even years after these adventures had ended, and Sam wouldn't have it any other way.


	35. 33 - Cycling Road Adventures

~ Chapter 33 ~

Cycling Road Adventures

" _Cycling Road was only the beginning of the weirdness that was to come in our adventures, but regardless it was fun. It was the first time we came face to face with a Dragon type Pokémon; I still remember meeting them…and to this day the Pokémon I caught in that cave has been a trusted companion of mine, and a major part of my Sinnoh Team. I can't imagine battling using my Sinnoh Team without it, it's become so integral to my battle strategy, and it's saved my life many times in the years that we've been partners. Although it hasn't always been easy raising it—though easier than most people would find raising a Dragon Pokémon—in fact at first it was pretty tough. I don't know why but to this day it remains the only Dragon Pokémon I own that didn't find itself enamored with me at first sight—maybe second sight ha-ha."_

Sam threw back his head as he drank water from his canteen. He couldn't remember being so thirsty before in his life.

The entire group had been biking for the past three hours while the hot sun beat down on them and it was time for a break. Downhill wasn't so bad, but the constant uphill didn't help anything.

Cycling Road had been built on top of a naturally hilly land that sat at the base of the Mt. Coronet mountain chain, meaning it caught every up and down and winding turn in the hills, as if one was biking over the hills proper.

Sam leaned his bike against the rails of the raised road and sat down on top of one of the sets of steps that led down to the valley below.

Alyssandra, Jeremy and Niya joined him shortly after taking their water breaks as well. Sweat covered every inch of each of their bodies, and Jeremy and Sam had sweat through their jackets and their hair looked as if they had just come out of the shower. The girls' make up was starting to run as well.

It wasn't easy biking in the hot sun of June with pounds upon pounds of baggage on your back.

Provisions for the day as well as the tents and cooking supplies were strapped to the backs of the group and to the sides of the bikes. And on top of the shoulder bags Sam and Alyssandra insisted on carrying, it wasn't any easier.

Despite all that though, Sam never felt the heat beating down on him, if anything, it was the exhaustion that he felt.

Sam had always been well attuned to extreme heat and cold for some odd reason; but the others weren't like him, and every minute they prolonged their exposure to the sun was another minute they risked the chance of someone falling off their bikes.

Sam knew they needed a break, so he stopped his bike and pulled off to the side of the road, where a long staircase descended down into the valley. "All right," sighed Sam catching his breath, "Lunch time. Someone break out the water and some of the sandwiches—nothing too heavy, we're going to be sick otherwise."

Alyssandra groaned and threw herself onto the steps, drenching her throat with water to the point where it dribbled down her chin. "We picked the worst day to bike," she complained; sweat running down her temple as she sat up a bit.

"Are you kidding?" asked Niya, a wide smile on her face as she wiped the sweat from her brow, "This is amazing! We should have done this sooner."

Jeremy glared at Niya. "You're nuts, you know that?" he said, "I mean, I enjoy a nice bike ride as much as the next guy; but in this heat—you know how Sinnoh is in the early summer."

"It's beautiful, I think," smiled Niya as she sat down on the step next to Sam, who had thrown off his jacket and wiped his forehead with it.

"What's for lunch Lyss?" asked Sam, "Quick before these two go at it. It's best to feed them before they start to fight."

"We are _not_ going to fight," argued Jeremy defensively, "Disagree, maybe, but not fight."

Sam rolled his eyes and turned back to Alyssandra as she rummaged through her backpack. "We have some apples…a piece of bread…and some extra water," Alyssandra said as she pulled them from the bag one by one, "We don't have much else, we were going to stock back up once we reached the next checkpoint remember?"

Sam sighed. "That's right. All right, divide up the bread and the apples. Keep the water. We'll use it to refill our canteens when we run out."

Alyssandra nodded and continued to pull two knives from the backpack and did as Sam said.

Meanwhile, Niya turned back to Jeremy. "I'm surprised someone as fit as you is having a hard time biking," said Niya with a shrug towards Jeremy, "In fact the same could be said for all of you. I used to do this for fun when I was bored or had to travel this way for contests."

Jeremy glared at Niya. "Well that's great for you, but you're nuts," he said rolling his eyes and collapsing on the metal roads that made up the pathway, he groaned and rolled over onto his side, "Why didn't we take the shuttle train that runs underneath the road. It would have been faster and air conditioned."

"Yeah but that's boring," argued Alyssandra, "Besides, painful as this all is in the heat, it's a lot more scenic and fun, don't you think?"

Jeremy glared at Alyssandra and sipped some more water. "No, I don't think," he grumbled, "That's what I'm trying to say."

Sam, tired of the fighting, finally spoke. "Hey! Why don't we go exploring those caves that Professor Rowan mentioned before?" he asked, "We'll go after lunch!"

Finally, everyone was agreed on something for the first time since they set out this morning. The heat had been getting to them since they started cycling, and it was getting worse and worse as the day went on.

If anything, Sam wanted to go into the caves, so he and his friends could get out of this maddening sun and stay cool for a few hours; maybe even catch some Pokémon.

Sam had heard that Gible lived in the caves below Cycling Road, and he had always wanted a Dragon Pokémon. They were his favorite type of Pokémon—although Electric, Flying, Water and Fire ranked up there as well—so it only seemed natural for him to have one.

Besides, Sam remembered all the stories about his grandfather's Pokémon, how he had an entire team of Dragon Pokémon, and that every single one of his teams had at least one Dragon Pokémon—there were even stories that he had owned one of every specie of Dragon Pokémon in existence.

Sam had never seen any of these Pokémon though; well, not all of them.

In fact, Sam didn't remember seeing any of his grandfather's Pokémon after he died. His grandfather had hundreds of Pokémon, and he had several teams set up for different battling situations, and yet, after his death, they all went somewhere.

None of the ranches had them, and he was sure that the Pokémon weren't released. Sam shrugged that thought off, however, but reminded himself to ask his grandmother about it next time he had a chance.

Sam's thoughts were cut short as Alyssandra passed him a few slices of apple and some bread. "Thanks," muttered Sam, his mind returning to his grandfather's Pokémon.

Again, his thoughts were disturbed as Jeremy tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, where'd you get that necklace?" he asked.

Sam looked down to the black crystal necklace that hung around his neck.

Niya looked over at Sam, just now noticing the dark crystal herself.

Sam smiled a bit. "Professor Rowan gave it to me this morning," explained Sam, "It belonged to my grandfather. He used to wear it all the time. My grandmother felt it was time for the necklace to be passed on to me."

"It's a nice look on you," said Niya, "It's pretty."

Sam hung his head with a sigh. "Glad to know I look pretty," he joked, "I'll make sure my grandmother knows how pretty I look." Sam finished his bit of apple and tore a bite out of the bread, and before he knew it, he was completely finished with that too.

Sam took another sip of water and waited around until everyone was finished with their food, then stood up and walked back towards his bike.

Bending over, Sam drew a bike lock from a pouch saddled to the back of the bike and locked the bike against the rail. Alyssandra, Jeremy and Niya soon followed suit, and together, the four of them looked down at the steps that led to the cool, damp forest below.

"So that's the real Route 206, huh?" asked Jeremy, "Looks inviting. Is that the cave over there?" Jeremy pointed to a small hole in the wall towards the right of the group as they descended the stairs.

Niya nodded as she shouldered her bag. "Yeah, I've been down this route before," she explained, "I've never had the chance to go inside of the caves, but I guess better now than never."

The remainder of the walk down the stairs went silently, until finally they reached the bottom, as they did Alyssandra was the first to speak.

"Jeremy, what happened to Pikachu?" she wondered as the group started towards the dark gaping hole that was the cave.

Jeremy chuckled. "As I've said before, Pikachu is young, and also very fickle," explained Jeremy, "But it just recently decided it doesn't like being out of its Poké Ball again. I don't know what's so great in there that Pikachu doesn't want to leave but…I respect my Pokémon's wishes."

"Yeah that's true," said Sam curiously, "I've always wondered the same thing about Poké Balls. What's inside, and why is it so great that Pokémon don't mind being in there?"

"Maybe it's one of those bigger on the inside than the outside things?" suggested Alyssandra.

"Well it would have to be," said Niya simply, "Otherwise the Pokémon wouldn't fit."

Sam laughed. "And how are we supposed to confirm this? Hop inside one?"

Everyone else let out a chuckle, and their attention turned back towards the cave that stood in front of them. "Well, this is it then," said Sam staring down into the darkness of the cave, "Let's go—no groups this time. It might be too dangerous, with all the volatile Pokémon here."

"Sam's right," nodded Niya as she switched on her flash light, "There are Gible, Gabite and Garchomp in this cave. They don't take kindly to people walking around in their territory, so it's best if we stick together."

"Gible huh?" asked Sam as the group progressed into the cave, "They're Dragon type, aren't they?"

Niya nodded. "That's right," she said, "They're Dragon type Pokémon, and I'm sure you know Dragon type Pokémon are fairly strong."

"Perfect!" said Sam, "Then I'm catching one. I've always loved Dragon Pokémon. My grandfather had a lot of them; they say he was a Dragon Pokémon Master. Only fitting really."

"Yeah, that's true, I've heard the stories," said Niya.

Everyone looked at her, a pause of silence passing over the group.

"What?" asked Niya defensively, "Oh, that—well I subscribe to Trainer's Weekly, how do you think I know so much about Pokémon? Anyway—they did a whole article about a year back about Dragon Pokémon Trainers and Training—really good read. Anyway, your grandfather was featured in the article, posthumously of course. You didn't know?"

Sam shrugged and kept walking. "I don't subscribe to that magazine, I was aware that he was famous for his skills as a Trainer, so I'm not exactly surprised." Sam smiled faintly as the group kept walking, that was just like his grandfather, great even after his death.

"Well, you, as a Trainer, and Alyssandra, as a Coordinator, should really consider subscribing," suggested Niya, "It will really help you in the long run. Besides, if you want to get on the cover one day, you're going to want to get familiar with the magazine."

Sam rolled his eyes, while Jeremy protested about not being included in Niya's list. Sam broke the arguing again.

"All right, let's keep going," said Sam turning back to his friends, "But let's do it quietly, we don't want to anger the Gible. Besides, if I'm going to catch one, I'd rather have the element of surprise."

Everyone else nodded in agreement, and the rest of the trip continued silently. The only sounds available were the careful sounds of their shoes in the dirt, and occasional drip of water from the roof of the caves. They took lefts and rights, travelled up and down inclines, going deeper and deeper into the caves that stuck into the side of Mt. Coronet like a thorn.

Not a single Pokémon crossed their path unlike the other caves the group had been into in the past. Not a single Zubat, or Geodude, or Golbat, or anything of the like was here. It was obvious that the Gible, Gabite and Garchomp had made this place their home and had probably made it explicit that this was their territory only, and any other Pokémon who intruded in their territory was most likely not leaving.

After what seemed like hours of wandering around aimlessly, the group was frozen in their tracks by the sound of a loud roar and the suddenly rumbling ground.

The group wheeled around, shining their flashlights at every corner of the cavern, but nothing appeared.

"What was that?" asked Alyssandra, her voice wavering, "Do you think that was an avalanche?"

"Not likely," said Niya, "That was, no doubt, a Garchomp. It sounded angry…but, they are typically loud Pokémon, I don't think it's close enough that we're in danger. Still though, we should be—"

Niya was interrupted by a sudden cheer from behind her, and she wheeled around to see Sam lifting a Poké Ball above his head in celebration. "What did you just do?" she asked surprised.

"I caught a Gible," said Sam.

"How?!" asked Niya, "You didn't even battle it, I would've heard if you had, I was standing right here."

"I was looking around while you were talking, and I saw the Gible passed out over here—I figured it was better than leaving it, and not to mention I get my Gible."

Niya sighed. "That's not like you at all," she said, "Normally you would've fought for your Pokémon but…well, at least you're doing it a service by helping it out, I'll give you that. But did you have to do it while I was talking?"

Sam chuckled as he strapped the Poké Ball to his Ball Belt. "Sorry," he said smiling, "I was just—"

"Don't worry Niya, I'm sure he was paying attention," reassured Jeremy, "Besides, Lyss and I were. Though, since you seem to be the expert here, I'd like to ask, why this Gible was here alone, and unconscious?"

"Well, Gible, Gabite and Garchomp are very territorial you see, even at such a young age," explained Niya, "In fact, as you've seen, they don't even allow other Pokémon to live where they do. They're also known for fighting amongst one another for the rights to food, mates, living ground, even something as trivial as where one of them gets to sleep. Very similarly to how Sam's Staravia and Jeremy's fight whenever they're near each other. It's possible this Gible was part of a fight for something and it lost—they're not particularly merciful these Pokémon."

"I guess it's glad I caught it then," smiled Sam, "It'll get a chance to rest, grow stronger, and probably have a better life than being beat up all the time."

"Well, when he puts it that way," said Alyssandra, "Still, don't you think a Gible that young has a family, or like, a big mommy Garchomp that's going to come after it if it doesn't come home right away?"

Before anyone could respond, the roar sounded again, and the ground shook once more. But this time they were closer, and louder, and more frequent. They sounded again, and again and again, and got closer and closer and closer until in front of the group stood a large Garchomp, its fangs bared angrily and its eyes glowing with rage.

"What was that you just said, Lyss?" asked Jeremy as the Garchomp looked over the group, sniffing the air for any scent of what they thought was a Gible.

The Garchomp's head turned side to side as it sniffed and sniffed. It didn't seem to see the group; it simply passed by them sniffing the air until it stopped. Wheeling around slowly, Garchomp continued to sniff the air, walking towards Sam, and paused, it's eyes growing as he sniffed the air near Sam's Ball Belt.

Sam gulped, he knew what was about to happen, and before the Garchomp could snap its teeth shut on the spot where Sam had been, the group had started running down the cave.

"This is the last time we go into caves without Repels!" shouted Sam as he led the group back towards the exit, albeit blindly.

"No, this is the last time you go catching random Pokémon you find! You're battling them from now on!" shouted Niya, keeping a close tail behind Sam, with Alyssandra behind her, "By the way, do you know where we're going?! I don't remember taking this turn before!"

"Not at all!" shouted Sam, wheeling another corner and throwing himself behind a rock as a large explosion shook the cave behind him.

Garchomp had unleashed a Hyper Beam that Sam was sure had nearly caused the place to collapse on them.

"We can't outrun this thing," said Alyssandra, "It runs fast, and its attacks are long range. There isn't always going to be a corner to duck around—we could die!"

"Yeah but we can't figure our way out of this place without the proper time to stop and think and read the compass," justified Sam, trying to provide reason for his madness.

"We don't have time you idiot!" cried Niya, "That thing wants to eat us, now!"

"I know, I know, but relax we—"

Alyssandra shook Sam violently and stopped him mid-sentence. "Jeremy!" she shouted, pointing towards the hallway they had just left.

There lay Jeremy on the ground, he had tripped, and his leg had been trapped under a pile of rubble. The Garchomp had caught up with him, and stood there, growling menacingly as its teeth were ready to bite right through him.

"Dammit!" hissed Sam as he saw his friend in trouble.

"What are we going to do?" asked Alyssandra, "We don't have any Pokémon that can take down a Dragon type, and none of ours are strong enough to fight that thing."

Sam gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, and did the first thing that came to his mind. Without thinking, he had run out from behind the rock towards Jeremy.

"Sam!" shouted Alyssandra and Niya as they realized what he was going to do, and even Jeremy shouted his protests. But Sam had started running, and his mind was made up; there was no stopping him.

Sam kept running, and before he knew it, he had put himself between the Garchomp and Jeremy, ultimately putting his life on the line for his friend. The Garchomp reared, and, its mouth wide open, prepare to bite through whatever was in its way, either Jeremy or Sam, it didn't care.

Alyssandra and Niya ran towards Jeremy and Sam, hoping to do…something, they weren't sure, but they knew they couldn't let their friends die. Niya's Roserade, let out a few moments ago, and Alyssandra's Piplup, let out at the same time, dashed alongside their Trainers, ready to attack the Garchomp on command.

But before anyone could move another step, they froze in their tracks, as they saw the strangest thing. The Garchomp had not only stopped attacking but had begun to nuzzle Sam's chest gently with its head.

"W-what are you doing?" Sam asked the Garchomp, worried that it was a tactic to throw him off guard.

"Garchomp!" called the Garchomp happily, a smile replacing the angry grimace from before.

Sam took a few steps back, but gently, carefully, and warily patted the Garchomp on the snout. "So, why the sudden change of heart?" asked Sam.

"Garchomp! Chomp!" called back the Pokémon.

Sadly, Sam had no idea what this meant, and only sighed. "Right."

"W-what just happened?" asked Niya in disbelief, "One minute that Garchomp was ready to tear through Sam and Jeremy both, and now it's acting like an overgrown teddy bear."

Alyssandra shrugged, and together the two of them and their Pokémon ran over to Jeremy, tossing the rocks off of his leg and pulling him back towards a nearby wall.

"Are you okay?" asked Alyssandra, "Does your leg hurt?"

Jeremy nodded. "A bit, I'm not sure if its sprained or broken, but I'm not going to risk walking on it just yet," he said.

Niya nodded examining the leg. "That's a wise choice," she said, "It's not broken—you would see the misshapen look of the bone as it protruded from your skin, not to mention you'd be in too much pain to talk clearly let alone think logically. It's possible that your ankle is just sprained from the fall you had, and the rocks on top of it caused bruising. Still, I'd stay off that leg for the next few days."

"You know all that from a simple look?" asked Alyssandra, surprised at Niya's vast knowledge of medicine, and not just Pokémon.

"There was—"

"—an article in Trainer's Weekly on First Aid, wasn't there?" asked Alyssandra, the surprise leaving her voice.

Niya smiled, then rummaged through her bag for the first aid kit. "I came prepared luckily," she explained, "I'm going to give you basic first aid, and then wrap your leg in a splint."

"Why? It's not broken!" protested Jeremy, "Just wrap it up or something."

"I can't do that," explained Niya as she laid out the gauze and two wooden sticks, "I can't be sure that I missed the possibility of a hairline fracture—that kind of breakage isn't possible to see with the naked eye. If it were that, I'm not going to be the one that caused you to never walk again because of a misdiagnosis, what kind of a friend would I be? No, I'm going to put your leg in a splint anyway, just in case. We'll have you checked up at the next Pokémon Centre, and then Nurse Joy can decide whether or not it's necessary."

Jeremy sighed. "Just do what you need to do, but you're helping me walk after!"

Niya laughed. "All right, all right, if that's what it takes."

Sam appeared suddenly, kneeling down next to Jeremy. "I heard," he said before Alyssandra could explain, "Jeremy can I have a Poké Ball please?"

Jeremy looked at Sam with confusion, wondering why he would want one when he had tons of his own, but without arguing, Jeremy did as Sam asked.

Sam took the Poké Ball happily and turned back towards the Garchomp. "All right, Garchomp, it's just like we discussed," smiled Sam, "That's still okay with your right?"

Garchomp cried happily. "Chomp! Chomp, Garchomp!"

Sam nodded. "All right then," he said and tossed the Poké Ball at Garchomp. Within a minute, the Pokémon was caught and light at the Centre of the Poké Ball flashed red and it stopped moving.

"What did you do?" asked Jeremy, struggling to stand up but Niya and Alyssandra forced him back down.

"You're not healed yet! Sit down and let me finish!" cried Niya sternly.

Jeremy waved his hand and looked at Sam. "Why did you do that for?" asked Jeremy again, "You could've just used your own Poké Ball to catch that Garchomp, besides, you already have a Gible."

"I know," said Sam shrugging, "That's why this is yours."

Sam placed the Poké Ball in Jeremy's hand, and Jeremy stared at it in disbelief,

"How? Why?" he asked, barely able to make his sentence comprehendible.

"I caught the Gible, and that made the Garchomp chase us," explained Sam, "It's because of that you're hurt, and this is my way of apologizing. Besides, I know you would've caught it anyway—Alyssandra wouldn't have wanted it and Niya's not catching Pokémon."

"I still could've caught it myself though, you really didn't have to," said Jeremy thankfully.

"You're hurt, you wouldn't have been able to battle properly," said Sam, "Besides, Alyssandra was right, we weren't strong enough to take on the Garchomp. So, I figured now that it was randomly being cooperative and friendly, I'd ask it if it would do us the favor by joining us and being one of your Pokémon. Surprisingly it agreed, so now it's yours."

Jeremy looked at Sam with a wide smile. "Thanks," he said simply, "I'll make it up to you."

Sam shook his head, then looked at Niya. "All finished?" he asked.

Niya nodded. "Yup, let's get him on his feet."

Niya and Sam each grabbed one of Jeremy's arms and pulled him up, then they placed that arm around their shoulders and helped support him. "Let me take it from here," said Niya, "Besides, you're on the side that works. He can walk on that, I'll support him on this side; I already promised I would."

Sam nodded and let go of Jeremy. "Well, let's find our way out then," said Sam.

"How?" asked Alyssandra.

Sam pulled out a compass and scanned it. "We're going to keep heading west," he said, "The cave goes eastward into the mountain, so if we head the opposite way, we'll get back in no time."

Alyssandra groaned. "It was that kind of logic that got us lost in the first place…but it's better than nothing, I suppose. Lead the way."

"How is Jeremy going to get up the steps and bike after this?" asked Niya, "I'm not carrying him _and_ his bike."

Sam laughed at the thought, but not too much that it would prompt anger from Niya. "We'll call the Pokémon Ranger on duty and get him to drive us and Jeremy to the nearest checkpoint station with a Pokémon Centre, from there we'll get Jeremy looked at and probably spend the night."

Alyssandra and Niya agreed with that plan, and together, the four of them began their long trek back to the cave entrance. Though the whole time, all Alyssandra could think about was what had happened with Sam and that Garchomp.

Something about that wasn't right, and Alyssandra knew it. Something was going on here, either with Sam or the Garchomp.

Alyssandra didn't know, but she knew it was something she wanted to find out.


	36. 34 - The Truth Revealed

~ Chapter 34 ~

The Truth Revealed

" _Most men would rather deny a hard truth than face it. That's what someone once told me. As true as it is about many people I've met in my many years, it surprised me the most the first time I saw something like this happen before my eyes. When I first heard this quote, I once believed it was nothing but the pessimistic teachings of a cranky old hermit who had given up all hope in humanity and society, opting for seclusion instead of emersion. But when I saw it, witnessed it…with one of the most surprising people in the world…I couldn't help but feel the same. Shattered—my faith in that person was anyway—and betrayed. Even at my current age, I still find myself hurt by this truth—I suppose even I would rather run from it than face it, even now. Then again, something like this, who wouldn't?"_

"Well, I'm glad to hear he's all right," said Professor Rowan with a pleased look on his face, "I'll be sure his mother hears this right away—she'll be back soon."

Alyssandra smiled thankfully. "Thank you, Professor," she said, "It's been great talking to you again, even though we just saw you earlier this week."

"Well, I'm always happy to speak with you four," chuckled Rowan, "How was Cycling Road? Did you go to the caverns beneath the route?"

Alyssandra nodded. "Actually, I wanted to talk about that next," started Alyssandra, "Something really weird happened down there."

"What do you mean?" asked Professor Rowan calmly, stroking his moustache.

"Well, we got chased by a Garchomp because Sam captured one of its offspring," explained Alyssandra in a hushed tone, "And well…Jeremy fell down, that's when he hurt himself, and as he did, Sam jumped in front of him and tried to protect Jeremy from the Garchomp, and right before the Garchomp attacked him, it stopped and started acting as if Sam was his best friend. Is this normal for Pokémon? That thing was huge, and ravenous, I didn't think they could just turn around like that."

Professor Rowan looked stoically at the nearby wall, this time stroking his beard into a pointed shape, something he always did when something troubled him.

Alyssandra had noticed this back during Sam's battle against Gardenia the other day. He stroked his moustache in thought or habit, and his beard when troubled. This must've been something big—or maybe she was just overthinking this.

"Well, I can't really explain it," said Professor Rowan, with a small smile, "Perhaps it was distracted by Sam's necklace? Some Pokémon are soothed by shiny objects."

"Do you really believe Pokémon to be that simple, Professor?" asked Alyssandra, not pleased with that response.

Professor Rowan chuckled. "I'm sorry Alyssandra, I don't have any precedence in this matter to back it up with facts or research," explained the Professor, "I wasn't there to witness it, and I have never heard of something like this before. I wish I could be of more help."

Alyssandra sighed, she really didn't expect much—well she did, but she was getting ahead of herself. She expected that just because Professor Rowan was an expert he had all of the answers; something she should've known was impossible.

"No, it's all right," she said, "I suppose it was a long shot anyway, besides—"

"Lyss! Guess who I just met at the dinner table!" cried Niya as she entered the call Centre.

Alyssandra turned around to face her but wasn't given the chance to answer as Niya responded regardless. "Professor Alexios! He's in there; he wants to see you and Sam! I told him Jeremy's out of commission right now so, he'll leave him alone…actually it seemed like he was most interested in seeing Sam—that reminds me, where is he?"

Alyssandra shrugged. "I don't know, I haven't seen him since breakfast this morning," said Alyssandra, "But is Professor Alexios still there?"

Niya nodded, but Professor Rowan, who coughed and looked at them with his eyebrow raised, cut the news of their former teacher's arrival short.

"Professor Markus Alexios?" asked the Professor.

"Yes, what about him?" asked Niya with a hint of concern.

"Well, I'm surprised he's still being called Professor," said Professor Rowan.

"He's working for some large company apparently," explained Alyssandra, "I don't know which one, but he mentioned that he was studying the creation myths of Sinnoh and trying to find evidence behind them."

Professor Rowan stroked his beard again in his troubled way, and then looked back at the girls with issue.

"What's wrong?" asked Alyssandra.

"He was discredited by the scientific community many years ago," explained Professor Rowan, "This was the type research that got him thrown out. He had his license and degree taken away and was denied research grants from all companies and educational institutions in the five regions."

"So, what are you trying to say, that he's a fraud?" asked Niya.

"Well unless he's been given back his license and degree—which he hasn't, by the way," said Professor Rowan simply.

Alyssandra looked back at Niya, and Niya back at her. "Do you think he has an ulterior motive?" she asked.

Niya shrugged. "I don't know but I'm worried now…do you remember how he disappeared after we saw him that day outside Oreburgh Gate?"

Alyssandra nodded, then added to Niya's theory. "He'd just been a few hours ahead of us, we should've seen him, but no one in Oreburgh had seen him. Not the Mining Museum, not the Pokémon Centre, not even any of the Hotels. It's like he was never there."

"What if he wasn't?" asked Niya, "What if he went somewhere else?"

"Well he did disappear for a long time until now," Alyssandra said, mulling it over aloud, "And he just happened to come in here after us…what's going on?"

Professor Rowan shrugged. "I'm not sure, but don't let the man know you're aware of this information," said the Professor, "If he knows you know…there's no telling what he can do. He's quite mad if I remember. Niya, go distract him. Alyssandra get your Pokémon and Sam, either of them might be able to scare him off."

"Hey! Aren't we big enough to scare him off?" asked Niya, "We're strong too!"

"He's a large man, you'll be nothing for him. Besides he has years of training experience that you don't," explained the Professor, "You won't be able to beat him."

"Then how can Sam—" started Niya, but Professor Rowan looked at her with his hard eyes.

"Don't argue just trust me! Go! Make sure Sam shakes his hand!"

Niya nodded and returned to the dining hall, while Alyssandra said a quick goodbye with Professor Rowan as she ran up to the groups' room.

She threw open the door and looked around, and it was only when she calmed down and looked thoroughly that she realized Sam was out on the balcony. She didn't want to seem too eager or scared, so she breathed deeply, calmed herself, and walked gently out onto the balcony to speak with Sam.

"Hey," she said softly, trying to not to worry him too much at once, "Jeremy's going to be okay, we'll be here for a few days though while he's healing. Niya was right, there was only a sprain and some bruising. He'll be in a bed and cast down in one of the patient rooms until he's healed. We can visit between nine and nine each day."

Sam nodded; he was bent over a thick, black leather-bound book that looked old and worn. He had a pen in his hand and was scrawling furiously on to the pages of the book. "That's good," he said simply, not looking up, still writing.

"What are you doing?" asked Alyssandra, as she sat herself down on the arm of the lawn chair Sam was using and tried to see what he was writing.

"I'm writing," said Sam, after a few more words he placed the pen between the two pages and closed the book, throwing it onto the footrest at his side. He looked up at Alyssandra and yawned. "I've been writing down every day of my life since I was nine. After my grandfather died, I started documenting things. I even wrote about my life before my grandfather passed on; my childhood, my early teenage years, and even our travels."

"Why?" asked Alyssandra, "That sounds so tedious."

"I want to publish it one day," he answered, "I want to be a writer, as well as Champion and Pokémon Master. Palmer's written several books in his lifetime, and he sort of inspired me to do the same. I want to pass on my experiences and values to other young Trainers who need advice. I'll be their Niya, only inanimate and not so much annoying."

Alyssandra and Sam chuckled. "Do it again!" they said imitating Niya, "Keep your Pokémon focused on their opponent! Don't show fear! Be strong and your Pokémon will be strong!"

They laughed together and Alyssandra almost fell off the chair chuckling. It was now or never, she needed to break the news to him. "Sam, there's something I need to tell you…Professor Alexios is a fraud. I spoke to Professor Rowan, he says he had his license removed and was discredited many years ago, so he _can't_ be working for any large company. Professor Rowan says he's a little warped in the mind and…well, he's here now. He wants to see you, Niya, and I and we think there's something wrong with that now that we think about what the Professor said. Remember how he disappeared in Oreburgh?"

Sam paused silently, and then looked up at Alyssandra. "Is Professor Rowan absolutely sure?" asked Sam.

Alyssandra nodded. "He asked us to come get you," she explained further, but quickly, "He said to come get you because we weren't strong enough. He said grab our Pokémon just in case, and then he said you needed to shake his hand."

"Wait what?" asked Sam as he grabbed his notebook and returned to the room, with Alyssandra close behind him.

"He wasn't entirely clear why, or at all…but he said that we had to trust him, and that you had to shake his hand," said Alyssandra as she strapped on her Poké Ball Belt and handed Sam his.

"All right, I'll trust him," said Sam strapping his own belt on, "I don't know much about this, but I know Professor Rowan has never led me wrong, and he's always done right be us, so the least we can do is trust him. Besides, he probably knows more about the scientific community than us. Let's go, Lyss!"

Sam and Alyssandra dashed from the room and down towards the dining hall. Alyssandra held tightly onto Niya's Ball Belt, as they travelled. Finally, after dashing down the stairs, they reached the main hall, and skidded to a halt outside of the dining hall.

"Do you remember what to do?" asked Alyssandra nervously.

Sam looked down at her. "Are you serious? I shake his hand, how hard is that to remember?"

Alyssandra nodded and out of instinct grabbed onto Sam's arm tightly. "Right, let's go," she said.

Holding Sam's arm was helping her keep calm, so Sam said nothing. Together, the two of them traveled into the dining hall and as they reached the table, Alyssandra slammed Niya's Ball Belt down on the table, which Niya gratefully took and slapped on.

"Oh! Sam, Alyssandra, how nice to see you!" exclaimed the old Professor.

Sam scanned him over, and noticed he looked more gaunt and tired than before, and he looked as if he had been overworked for days on end. His beard was shaggy and long, and his hair was a mess, tied back into a rushed and messy ponytail. If Professor Rowan was telling the truth, Professor Alexios was proving it right now.

"It's been a long time," said Sam carefully.

"Yes, I know. My apologies for not meeting you in Oreburgh," said the Professor wiping his glasses and placing them back on the crooked nose of his, "I was busy, and didn't get a chance to meet with you."

"Funny," said Sam, "Because we checked everywhere. The Museum, the Hotels, the Pokémon Centre. No one had seen you, or even heard about you."

Professor Alexios scratched his forehead and gave a forced laugh. "What are you trying to say my boy?" asked the old man, "You don't believe that I was busy?"

"No, no," said Sam, "Not at all, I just…no you're right, my apologies. I'm just tired…can we make it up with a handshake?"

Sam extended his hand out to the man to take, and there was a small pause. Markus looked down at the hand and, after a brief moment of thought, reached out, warily and with hesitance, grasped it firmly and shook Sam's hand.

For a split moment, time seemed, to Sam at least, still, and what felt like a thousand voices shot through his skull, and into his hand, working its way into Markus's mind.

Markus gasped and grabbed his temple, pain surging into his mind. He let out a short scream, and all of the truths he had been hiding, the ones that Sam had just found out, began to haunt his mind.

Sam looked into Markus's eyes, and said simply. "You lied to us, and I don't know why you came here…I don't know who you work for…but your mal intent…I feel it now."

Sam soon realized, as he tried to give his own opinion, that it was not him speaking. Whoever was making these words come out of his mouth, and voicing them, was not Sam. These words…they weren't his, they belonged to someone else, one of the many thousands of voices from before—or maybe all of them.

Sam didn't know why, but he was confused, and scared, and had no idea what was going on.

Then, as quickly as it started, it was over.

Sam was standing in the same position as before, still hold Markus's hand, looking deep into his eyes. The two kept their locked gaze for a few minutes until Alexios broke it.

"Forgive me, all of you, I'm tired," he said with a faint smile. Age and exhaustion rushed to his face like blood, and he suddenly seemed so much older than he was, "Until we meet next."

And with that, Markus squeezed from the booth and walked, briskly, from the dining hall until he had left the Pokémon Centre entirely.

Sam sank down in the seat, his face still frozen, and pale as sweat dripped from his brow.

"What's wrong Sam?" asked Alyssandra as she looked at her friend with worry, "Do you need to rest? Or see a doctor?"

Sam shook his head. "No, no, I'm all right." Sam wasn't all right. In fact, he felt like vomiting, and he would probably have done it if he weren't in public. "I just…well, rest would be good right now."

"I'll take him," said Niya gently, "Here, let me help you walk—Lyss, go call Professor Rowan, let him know the Professor is gone. Tell him we're done, and we did what he asked."

Alyssandra nodded hollowly, and still watching Sam and Niya walked him from the hall, sighed heavily and walked towards the call Centre.

"What happened?" asked Niya after she had exited the dining hall and entered the entrance area with Sam's arm on her shoulders.

Sam shook his head weakly. "I don't know…just, I need to rest before I pass out for three more days—I'll explain after okay?"

Niya nodded and carried her friend up to their room. She was no better than Sam, but, not as pale. She was just as shocked and appalled by Markus's actions. His lies were uncalled for, especially since he was once so dear to her and her friends.

But what her father once told her suddenly rang through her ears. " _Most men ignore a hard truth rather than face it,_ "never had he been so right as now.


	37. 35 - Secrets

~ Chapter 35 ~

Secrets

" _We spent the next few days after Jeremy's release walking longer days than ever in order to make up for lost time. We didn't really have a time limit on travelling, I guess, but we were aiming for less than eight months. Everyone agreed, if my grandfather could do it in eight, we could do it in less than that. Of course, the longer we walked, the more time my mind could wrap itself around what was going on in my life currently. I know when people go through puberty their bodies change, but what was happening with me was ridiculous. We discussed it a few nights before leaving the Pokémon Centre, and ever since then, that scene had been replaying in my head for weeks to come. It never really left, although the topic in itself died down completely. But what was weirder, after making that bet with Niya, nothing weird did happen again. It was like fate was trying to put my life back towards normal once more."_

"Already, huh?" asked Palmer as he sipped his coffee. He stared down hard at the ground, bouncing his leg up and down nervously.

"It would appear so," said Professor Rowan, scratching his forehead.

"He's this close…" said Nancy slowly, staring out the window.

Linda sat beside her, patting her arm.

"It's rather soon, don't you think?" asked Palmer.

Rowan shook his head again. " _He_ was even younger," he sighed, "Though, I believe that this incident was caused by _that_ , and not directly by him."

"Naturally," said Nancy focusing back on the conversation, "He's not trained yet, and therefore the power is unfocused. I'd be surprised if any of this is of his own doing."

"Nancy's right," said Professor Rowan, "He is simply a conduit at this point. It's _that_ which is allowing him to use these powers."

"He's a conduit for a power he cannot control?" Palmer half stated, half asked, "Don't you think that's a bit dangerous? It means he's volatile, and it also means that once these things start happening more often he and everyone else around him will start asking questions."

"It's not exactly like that," said Professor Rowan defensively, but Nancy interrupted.

"No, Palmer's right," she sighed, "We gave _it_ to him in order to prevent him from being discoverable. But what we forgot was that they are going to try to save his life when it's in danger—by any means necessary."

"And if it's not them, it's going to be the other thing," said Palmer, "Shouldn't we just tell him?"

"He's not ready!" said Professor Rowan adamantly, "He's just a boy; barely even enjoyed life and its mysteries left. Aurelio specifically said that he must be told when he is old enough."

"Well, I think sixteen is a pretty fine age, don't you?" argued Palmer as he took another sip of his coffee.

"Nancy's not getting any younger, and _they_ aren't becoming any less discreet. You know as well as I that as soon as she dies, there's going to be—"

"I know!" shouted Professor Rowan, leaving time for a pause before he continued, "I know…but we need to respect Aurelio's wishes."

Palmer sighed heavily as he sat back down at the table. "I wish he were still alive," he said, "He'd know what to do."

"Palmer, if he were still alive, none of this would be a problem," retorted Professor Rowan.

"No," said Nancy stoically, "No, these problems started long before Aurelio. They were his to inherit, but not his from the start. I'm not so sure we'd be any better off if Aurelio were alive; if anything, we'd be in the same position. He was not as strong as he once was—I needn't tell you both that. You saw him in his later years, you saw how much energy and strength he put into protecting the only hope we have of finishing _him_ off."

Professor Rowan nodded. "Aye," he said quietly.

The room remained silent, and Linda, who had quietly observed the conversation for now, finally spoke up. "I understand the delicacy of this topic," she said gently, "But being new to all of this…I don't know why we can't just use the proper names for things?"

Nancy chuckled. "Linda, my dear," she said patting her arm, "There are still many secrets that I have up my sleeve, even at my age. We speak this way because we understand the gravity these secrets have, and we also understand that these secrets need to remain secret if we are to succeed. I sense _that_ presence; he is here…and so nothing we say is safe. We are also subject to spying, and therefore secrets must remain just that—lest power and knowledge fall into the wrong hands. I appreciate your understanding and patience in this situation, my apologies for being so secret."

Linda nodded. "It's all right. I understand now," she said smiling, "I was just curious. I wouldn't dare ask you to break vows of silence just on my account—the risks are just too great."

Rowan turned back to Nancy, and Palmer faced her as well. "Well then what can we do about this in the meantime?" asked the old Professor, "They can't be as free with their power as in the old days, when Aurelio still possessed it."

"And telling him is out of the question, apparently," grumbled Palmer as he placed his mug down on the table and pushed it away from him, "What options are we left with?"

Nancy remained silent and thought quietly as she stared at the floor. After several minutes, she finally spoke. "I shall commune with _them_ ; mine is connected to his," she stated boldly, "I will tell them to be more selective and discreet in how they choose to use their power. If it works, we should not have to worry about something like this happening again—not for a long time."

"So, he'll be completely cut off from them, then?" asked Palmer.

Nancy shook her head. "No, he will still have access to them, but not as often, and only in situations that will end his life—if anything, what they do to defend him will be more secretive and discreet than before. Hopefully more explainable as well."

"What about his other abilities?" asked Professor Rowan, stroking his beard.

"The ones that cannot be involuntarily used shall be suppressed," explained Nancy, "Those that none can control, the ones that do not cease, they shall remain active…but they shall, for the most part, be explainable."

Nancy stood up from her chair as she finished speaking, and silence filled the room once more, as she walked towards the stairs she paused and turned back to Linda. "Are you coming dear?" she asked kindly, "I may need some help with this."

Linda nodded and quickly rushed after the old woman, ascending the stairs with her, leaving Professor Rowan and Palmer behind.

"Do you think it will work?" asked Palmer.

Rowan shrugged. "I'm not sure," he said, "But it will have to—we can't let this secret out too soon. If he were to find out…"

Palmer nodded and walked over to the sink, placing his mug inside of it. "In the meantime, I suppose we should go about our normal lives."

"That would be best," agreed the Professor, walking over to the door, and grabbed his briefcase and coat.

"You going out?" asked Palmer.

Rowan nodded. "I must engage in some field studies with my intern," explained the old Professor.

Palmer smiled. "The one that stutters all the time?"

Rowan turned on his heel without answering, knowing it was more of a playful jab than a question, and exited the house without another word.

Palmer chuckled as he watched Professor Rowan leave. "Same old Rowan," he laughed, "Just like the glory days."

Palmer looked up at the ceiling, knowing Nancy was currently upstairs right now doing everything she could to keep things together, just as she always had.

This made him smile, to think that things hadn't entirely changed. Some things would be, always, the same as they had been for years.

Palmer then turned to look at the pictures that adorned the mantelpiece of the fireplace. There were pictures of Sam as a child, ones of Aurelio and Nancy from their youth, but the one he was most proud of, the one that always brought a tear to his eye, was from Sam's third birthday.

He was standing in front of the house; by his side were his friends, Alyssandra, Niya, and Jeremy. Sam and Jeremy were smiling into the camera, their eyes squinted and their teeth showing. Alyssandra who smiled cutely at the camera, and Niya who had her arms slung around the boys' shoulders.

Valentina stood there behind her sister, a simple smile on her face—he couldn't believe she was Champion now. Aurelio and Nancy stood behind Sam, Aurelio's arm around his wife's waist.

Linda was beside Nancy, smiling kindly as she always did. Beside her stood Niya and Alyssandra's parents, with the latter holding a baby Enzo in their arms.

The children looked so much younger…so much more alive. And then there was Palmer, to the left of Aurelio, he wasn't looking at the camera, but instead down at Sam and his friends—specifically at Sam though—and all Palmer could remember thinking at that moment was something he thought every time he saw Sam take another big step in life.

" _You'll be okay, kid. You're going to do fine, I know it. Everyone's rooting for you."_

Sam walked down the wooded path with his friends beside him. He wasn't paying attention to where he was going or what he was doing. The only thing on his mind was Professor Alexios' betrayal, and what had happened.

The images of that night played back in his head, over and over again, and he could remember afterwards, sitting down with Jeremy, Alyssandra and Niya and explaining what he had seen.

Sam had been walked down to the infirmary where Jeremy lay recuperating from his broken leg.

He remembered being sat down on the end of Jeremy's bed while everyone stared at him. Sam just sat there for the longest time, letting the silence do the talking.

It wasn't until Niya prodded him with a "Well?" that he finally began to explain.

"It was weird," started Sam, "The whole thing was surreal. As soon as I touched his hand, the world around me started to pause, and it was like…you know those movies where people stop time? And everyone around you is frozen except for you and the person in front of you? He cringed as soon as the world froze…the whole thing was hazy, and lucid…just like a dream."

"It was like a dream, that's all I can describe it as; a waking dream. He cringed, he was in pain—I don't know why, but touching me hurt him. And then I spoke, but it…it wasn't my voice. It was like a thousand other voices speaking for me. It said, ' _You lied to us, and I don't know why you came here…I don't know who you work for…but your mal intent…I feel it now._ ' And you know, I could feel it…I could feel his bad intentions…for some reason."

"You mean he was here to hurt us?" asked Alyssandra, her hand over her mouth.

She too was still getting over the shock of this. Sam could only imagine how Jeremy must've felt. It was bad enough being trapped in a hospital bed through the whole thing, but to hear the story retold by a bunch of people who were just as confused as he was mustn't have helped.

He must've been so frustrated that he wasn't there himself as well. Jeremy would've been the first to jump at the opportunity to chase off a liar like Alexios.

"So, did you figure out who he worked for in this state?" asked Niya.

Sam shook his head, and Jeremy came in with another question. "This, the way you're feeling," he said motioning to the way Sam was leaning against the baseboard of the bed, "I've seen you this weak before, remember? When you had that waking dream at the breakfast table and passed out."

Niya nodded. "Jeremy's right," she said surprised, "I didn't think about that. What you explained, how weak you looked and felt after, and the experience itself…it's similar. There's no doubt about it."

"So, what are you saying I can walk through dreams?" asked Sam sarcastically, though also partly seriously.

"Well, I'm reading this book right now," Alyssandra exclaimed with a glimmer in her eyes, "It's called Dreamwalker! This young boy is given the amazing power to walk through people's dreams! He can enter a 'dream world' at will, and is able to warp through people's dreams, and use it to do _anything_ , even see their deepest darkest secrets."

"Why would anyone want to do that?" asked Jeremy, "Let alone a teenage boy."

"Well, you see," explained Alyssandra, enthused, "A group of criminals who were hired by the government kidnapped the girl he loved, so they could pressure him into explaining the secret behind his powers and let them replicate it for their own use. So now to find this girl, he travels across the country, infiltrating government facilities in order to read the dreams of anyone who might know where they are keeping the girl. It's so romantic! And he travels with his best friend—"

"Can we focus?" asked Niya, with a small smirk on her face, "Good literature is not the current issue at hand right now. Our big problem is figuring out what's wrong with Sam, and why these dream-like problems seem to be afflicting him."

"Well, I like to think it's the Dreamwalker theory," smiled Alyssandra.

"I'd hate to agree with the love-struck pile of hormones over here," smirked Jeremy, "But that does seem like the most viable option at this point."

"Why?" asked Niya, "What if Sam's just a schizophrenic with delusions? Hell, it could even just be seizures."

"Well, I'm glad my sanity isn't questionable to you guys," muttered Sam as his friends continued to argue, "Besides you're both missing one recurring theme in my dreams that play a huge part in the weird goings on."

"What's that?" asked Jeremy.

"Dragons," said Sam simply, "Remember the dream was about a dragon. Every dream had a dragon, and do you remember when I was passed out? Dragons were in every vision, and it was a hooded figure with dragons that appeared before me right before I woke up."

"Were there dragons in this most recent dream-like state?" Niya asked plainly, though she knew the answer, and Sam did as well.

There weren't, and that shot Sam's theory right out of the water.

"Well, what else do you think it is?" asked Sam, "You don't seriously think I'm nuts do you?"

"I think this whole _thing_ is nuts," said Niya plainly, "I don't understand why any of this could be happening—and personally I'd rather just pretend that it's not, it's a lot easier."

The room remained silent. No one said anything after Niya paused mid speech, but when it was clear no one was going to speak up against her—signaling they all felt the same way—she continued.

"However, there is no ignoring something like this, as much as we'd like to," said Niya, "But for now, until we can come up with an explanation, we need to—"

"Professor Rowan," said Sam quietly.

Everyone turned back to him, and Sam looked up, repeating himself, this time a smile on his face. "Professor Rowan," said Sam again, as if all the answers were in that one phrase, "Professor Rowan was the one who told me shake his hand—he knows something. He has to."

"Then we should ask him," said Jeremy promptly, "Ask him to tell us what's going on. If he knows what's going, then he can explain to us what's—"

"He won't," said Alyssandra simply, "I've tried asking about the whole Garchomp incident—I thought it was odd. He couldn't provide any answers. If he knows something, he won't tell…but from the sincerity in his voice…I don't think he knew a thing about the Garchomp incident."

"So, what are we supposed to do then?" asked Jeremy, "Just let this keep happening?"

"Why is this suddenly a problem that needs to be fixed?" asked Sam, somewhat affronted.

"It's not, Sam," said Niya desperately, trying to make him understand their views, "We're just concerned because of the obviously negative effects its having on your health."

"Niya's right," said Alyssandra gently, sitting herself next to Sam, "We don't care that you can walk through these dreams or make weird things happen. We just don't like how it weakens you every time you do—you can't even control it."

"So, then why are you worried?" asked Sam, "I can't control it, and it's only happened once."

"But that time—" started Jeremy, but Sam cut him off.

"That time could've just been a fever," said Sam, "Brought on by exhaustion. It was just a weird dream filled with delusions—there is no reason that has to be supernatural. And this time, well, I don't even know if I saw what I saw."

"Sam, where is this coming from all of a sudden?" asked Alyssandra, gently placing her hand on Sam's shoulder.

"I don't want to think that the people I care about, my grandparents, or Professor Rowan, have been lying to me my whole life," explained Sam, "If they know, it means that they have been hiding things from me. But…I just can't see them doing that. There are perfectly logical explanations for the Garchomp, I was wearing my Necklace, and Garchomp tend to like shiny objects—most Pokémon do in fact. As for being unconscious and the recurring dream, it's just that, a recurring dream and the unconscious fever was a product of exhaustion from travel; and the thing with Alexios…who knows what I even imagined, okay? The handshake could have been coincidental—for all we know, it could have been because Alexios couldn't bear to look us in the eyes knowing he lied to us."

"Professor Rowan said he was mad, and he said shake his hand and all of a sudden something like that happens," started Niya, but she knew it was no good.

"Professor Rowan could have damn well been right," said Sam, his voice rising slightly, "But he could have just been biased towards a man like Alexios. Remember, he was part of the community that cast him out? Maybe he had good reason to think he was mad, but that doesn't mean it's true. Alexios leaving could have been a byproduct of his guilt for lying to us, his students. All of this science fiction, these weird explanations, they're just too good to be true. Nothing like that happens in real life, that's why it doesn't happen more often, or really at all."

Silence filled the room once more as the group mulled over what Sam had just said. There was no arguing; Sam's normal explanations to everything seemed the most logical when explained. The chances that it was a supernatural occurrence were long off, and very much a false possibility.

"I mean, I guess it is kind of wishful thinking to say that this is some kind of dream walking ability," said Alyssandra slowly.

Though she still had her doubts, she couldn't help but see some sense in what Sam was saying. "All right," Niya said, "Let's just agree to drop it then?"

"I agree," said Jeremy and Alyssandra in unison.

"You made a good point Sam," said Niya calmly, "And I understand your worries. But, if this happens again I'm going to those who I think know something about this, understand?"

Sam nodded.

"It has to have some unexplainable background to it," negotiated Sam, "And it has to be beyond a reasonable doubt. Deal?" Niya nodded and held out her hand.

"Deal," affirmed Sam.

He raised his hand slowly; part of him knew what Niya was doing. She was trying to lure out whatever it was that confronted Alexios the other night. Sam was somewhat afraid that she would be right, and something would happen—for all they knew this was triggered by a handshake.

Sam's hand met Niya's, and they shook, with a firm grasp, and looked each other in the eye. Sam let out a smile of relief as he looked into Niya's eye, knowing that he had just won that argument the moment nothing happened.

Niya chuckled and smiled back. "Can't blame me for trying, right?" she joked.

Sam shook his head and he stood up, looking back at Jeremy. "How many more days until you're ready to go?" he asked.

Jeremy shrugged. "Nurse Joy says another few days," replied Jeremy, "It wasn't a bad sprain; in fact, it was pretty minor. She said Niya's splint helped a bit and helped to reduce more damage during our walk back to Cycling Road. I'll be here until I'm perfectly healed though."

Sam nodded. "Well, rest up and heal fast," smiled Sam, "I'd like to ship out sooner than later—I won't be disappointed if you need more time though. You do need to worry about your health."

Jeremy nodded. "Just do me a favor?" he asked, causing Sam to ask with a nod, "Visit me often, all right? I'm going to go nuts alone over here."

Sam laughed. "All right, I will," he said, "I'll bring the girls with me too. Let's face it; they need something to do during the day as well. They can't sit around gossiping _all_ the time."

Jeremy laughed, and the two friends bid goodnight to each other.

That entire scene still ran through Sam's head as he walked towards the groups' next goal. They hadn't spoken about it since, and Sam was surprised that they kept their promised.

He wasn't complaining, but he was surprised.

Sam stopped suddenly, and the rest of the group paused with him.

"Are we here?" asked Alyssandra with a smile on her face.

"Yup," said Sam, excitement welling up in him.

"I can't believe we're finally here!" exclaimed Jeremy, "I'm looking forward to this stop."

Niya remained silent but smiled down at the large plot of land in the valley below.

It took a long time, and there were a lot of ups and downs along the way, but they had finally reached Sam's goal for the past few days.

"Let's go," said Sam, "The Accardi Pokémon Ranch awaits us."


	38. 36 - The Family Business

~ Chapter 36 ~

The Family Business

" _I introduced the group to the family today, well at least to my Uncle. My Uncle Lou, named after his father's father, Luciano. They spent the day on the farm learning how to be Pokémon Breeders and ranchers while I retook my Breeder's test—that darn license can be a pain sometimes. But even though I only got to spend a half a day with my friends and my Uncle I was able to enjoy what time I_ did _spend with them. And hey, Professor Rowan was right, the gift my Uncle had for me_ was _one of the best gifts he could have gotten. I have never been more thrilled in my life when I saw what he got me. Overall, a good day."_

The group looked out at the vast amounts of land that made up the Accardi Pokémon Ranch and were fascinated with what they saw.

Fields as far as the eye could see, and definitely farther, covered in fences and Pokémon from all over the Sinnoh Region and beyond.

"Wow, this place is huge," said Jeremy as the group passed beneath the wooden arch that labeled the entrance.

"So, this is where you used to spend your summers?" asked Alyssandra in awe, "This is amazing."

Sam nodded, a wide smile brimming his face. "I loved it here," he said, "You can see why; all the wide-open space. Plus, there's nothing like spending a summer with a bunch of Pokémon. Breeding is in my blood—naturally I loved it; still do."

"So, where is the homestead?" asked Niya, "I don't see one."

Sam laughed. "This place is forty-three thousand acres, and it's another twenty from here to the homestead."

"So how are we supposed to get there?" asked Jeremy with a frown, "I don't feel like walking all the way there."

Sam motioned for the others to follow him, and he walked towards a wooden stall that looked like a pay station for a toll road. The station was attached to a small shed; old and wooden and riddled with holes. A short bald man sat sleeping at a desk inside of the booth.

Sam knocked on the frame of where the door would be, and the man at the desk shot up.

"How can I help you?" asked the man as he stood up, knocking over his chair.

He turned around and fumbled to turn it back up again, then combed the remainder of his hair over to the left and fumbled over towards the group.

Sam chuckled and shook his head. "Still falling asleep on the job, eh Hunter?" asked Sam.

Hunter looked down at Sam, his eyes squinting as he tried to examine his face. "Well, I—you see…you…Sam?" he asked. Hunter jumped back, he was smiling wide and then pulled Sam into a big bear hug. "Look at you! You grew!" exclaimed Hunter, "Ha-ha and these must be your travelling companions, right?"

Sam nodded. "They are."

"I take it you've decided to go on a Pokémon Journey then?" asked Hunter, stroking his toothbrush mustache. He was a large man with a wrinkled and purple face. Age and exhaustion definitely covered it. "I mean, I'd heard whispers—but I'm just a guide and a gate guard. I don't hear much beyond that."

"It's true," said Sam, "And yes these are my friends. Alyssandra, Jeremy and Niya."

"Ah, you used to talk about them a lot," laughed Hunter, "So! How can I help you today Master Accardi?"

Sam waved his hand as Hunter stepped out of the booth and onto the road. He stood a whole head shorter than Sam and the others and was forced to look up at them as he spoke.

"Hunter we've been over this for years. My uncles are Master Accardi," said Sam, "I'm just the heir apparent, per say. I haven't even taken over the business yet. Please, call me Sam."

"I can't, Master Accardi," he said dutifully, "You're an Accardi and one of the family. Therefore, you're one of my employers, and I must show you the proper respect."

Sam sighed. "If you must."

"So, I take it you will be needing the car to get up to the main homestead?" asked Hunter, "Will you be needing an escort as well?"

Sam shook his head as Hunter led the group towards the shed. "No thanks," he said, "I can drive us."

Hunter nodded and gave a small bow, then threw open the rotted doors of the old shed. As he did, the light poured in, revealing an old jeep. It was old, and yellow, but it looked sturdy enough carry the four of them. There were two front seats, and two back seats, and only a frame where the roof the car would be.

"The truck's full of gas, and the keys are in the ignition. It's yours to take," said Hunter, "I'll return to my desk."

"You mean your nap?" laughed Sam.

Hunter laughed as well and returned to his small booth.

Sam hopped into the driver's seat, while his friends argued over who would get the passenger's seat.

"I want it!" said Alyssandra, "I'm the girl, and I deserve it."

"Niya's a girl too! Besides, you guys use that excuse for everything," complained Jeremy, "I think I should get the front seat."

"I don't care what kind of claim you have to it, I just want the front seat," said Niya simply, shrugging her shoulders.

Sam snorted; Niya was probably the most honest of the three of them.

"I'm choosing who gets the front," said Sam, "Niya you get it. You were the only one truthful about why you wanted it."

Niya smiled and jumped beside Sam, while Alyssandra and Jeremy grumbled about having to sit in the back.

Sam turned the keys in the ignition, and the engine roared to life. The gear was shifted into drive, and the gas pedal was tapped, and the four friends rolled out of the garage and onto the dirt road that led to Main Homestead of the Ranch.

"I didn't know you could drive," said Niya over the whistling of the wind and humming of the engine.

"There aren't exactly a lot of cars in Twinleaf Town," joked Sam, "But I got my license last summer. Because I have a summer job here at the Ranch, my uncles were able to pull some strings and get me my license a few months early—driving makes transportation across the Ranch easier."

"Makes sense," noted Niya.

The remainder of the trip was spent looking out past the white fences to the fields of Pokémon.

There were Pokémon of all kinds, from all regions and in all sorts of habitats. Some of them were even being herded together for shipment to the other ranches for sale to specific clients as Sam pointed out. They would be brought to a specific part of the ranch where they'd be placed in their Poké Balls and sent to a shipping port before being sent to the people who ordered them.

"Mass shipping is usually only for Pokémon Professors from other regions, and Safari Zones. It's mostly done when they want Pokémon that my family doesn't raise at the Ranch in their specific region," explained Sam, "Sometimes we transfer the Pokémon to their new Trainers, and other times, usually the more popular option, Trainers will come pick up their own Pokémon."

The drive continued for a little while longer, until Jeremy pointed out a group of Fearow and Spearow flying at top speeds back and forth over an open field.

"What's that?" asked Alyssandra, looking at where Jeremy was pointing.

"That's where we train the Fearow and Spearow who will one day become part of the National Fearow Transportation Service," stated Sam as if this was an everyday occurrence, "Fearow transportation needs to be fast, that's why people take it, because it's faster than walking and cheaper than driving a car or taking the train. So, we train our Fearow to fly at minimum speeds of sixty kilometers an hour. They take a few days walk and condense it into a few hours and seeing as how the average walking speed is about five kilometers an hour, that is what makes it a preferred method of travel to most people."

Alyssandra smiled at Sam; something about how knowledgeable he was about the subject of Pokémon breeding seemed to make her happy. She wasn't sure why, but that he cared about something as trivial—to outsiders anyway—as breeding was refreshing. Though she knew it was much more than "just breeding"; to Sam this was a livelihood, a family duty; a destiny and his future.

In a few years, Sam would be in charge of this ranch, and it would be his responsibility to oversee the training of these Pokémon.

Alyssandra gave an inward chuckle, knowing that somehow, she'd end up a part of that life; Jeremy and Niya too. The four of them were friends. They were inseparable.

The group continued the drive, silently, until finally they reached the homestead. They pulled up into a semi-circular pebble covered driveway that led to a large, blue farmhouse. It was baby blue, with white windows and aluminum paneling. There was a porch on the left side, and a black, shingled roof. It was quaint, and looked homey, but was in fact, quite large for a farm house, and looked as if it could fit most of the ranch's workers inside comfortably.

In the distance, but still within walking range, was a large barn that no doubt housed many Pokémon and attached to the barn was a fenced-in field where Pokémon were no doubt kept during good weather in the day.

They weren't out, and Sam explained that they were probably out in the fields being watched by a few farm hands.

As the group approached the door, they noticed another truck had been parked out front. This truck was newer, a bit smaller, and was definitely a different model than the standard jeep the ranch hands usually drove, meaning the Ranch didn't own it.

Sam figured it was just a client coming to visit or place an order.

The group exited the vehicle as Sam put it into drive and turned it off, taking the keys with him as he unbuckled his seatbelt and together, they walked towards the front door.

As Sam was about to open the door, it opened from the inside, pushing out towards the group, causing the foursome to jump back out of the way to avoid it.

Out of the doorway walked two men.

The one in front who had opened the door was in a tweed jacket and had neatly trimmed and pressed tweed pants. His shirt was of the purest white, no doubt cotton, and he wore a black bowtie. An overcoat was slung over his arm, and his hair was pushed back beneath a bowler cap. The man was aged, and wrinkles covered much of his somewhat chubby face. He had a thick walrus mustache—a style Sam felt was becoming increasingly over popular.

Sam did not recognize him, but he recognized the second man.

In a blue dress shirt, blue jeans, and heavy, muddy boots with a worn-out leather belt. His head was balding slightly, but it wasn't visible minus a retreating hairline leaving his forehead a bit more exposed than a normal man. He was aged, but he didn't look it, and his nose was hooked and little crooked like it had been broken in some accident.

"Uncle Lou!" cried Sam happily, "Hey! I was just about to come look for you!"

"Hey, look who it is," cried Uncle Lou as he walked forward and hugged Sam tightly. Like a father would embrace a son. Alyssandra noticed that Sam's uncle was a fairly tall man, standing a little over six feet, and wondered if Sam would ever grow to be that height.

"I see you've finally made it here," laughed Lou, "It took you forever."

"We got held up," said Sam, half lying. He wasn't about to explain everything that had happened with Team Galactic or the Garchomp a few days ago, as his Uncle didn't need to know more than he did right now.

"I can't complain I suppose. You got here, and that's good enough," smiled Lou.

"How are our Pokémon doing, you haven't had trouble trying to care for them, have you?" asked Sam, though he knew that everyone one else was wondering that as well.

Uncle Lou chuckled. "They're doing just fine," he said, "They've all found friends of the same or similar species and have blended in to this ranch life really well. We use some of them as liaisons between us and the Pokémon we raise. In fact, your Chimchar has become somewhat of an ambassador for most of the Pokémon and the leader of our Chimchar here. Your Croagunk's also become very close with Chimchar and helps him and us around the ranch when Chimchar is busy. It's quite fun to watch really."

"How about my Mime Jr.?" asked Alyssandra.

"He's doing just fine," answered Uncle Lou, "He has many more friends, but he still spends time with your Happiny and Bonsly, which is actually quite cute."

"And my Garchomp hasn't been causing trouble has she?" wondered Jeremy, almost worried about the answer.

Uncle Lou waved his hand dismissively though. "No of course not," he replied, "Though she's a new addition to the ranch she's adjusting well. She's a little temperamental sometimes, but she's come to taking in a group of orphaned Gible we found out in the mountains the other day, so the desire to see her young child has dissipated, and it's given her something to do and keeps her happy."

As the group beamed, satisfied with their answers, Uncle Lou spoke again. "Actually, it's perfect that you made it here today," he said towards Sam, "Because you've got your Breeder's Test to rewrite."

"Wait what?" asked Sam, surprised and unprepared.

"That's Mr. Donovan from the Pokémon League," explained Uncle Lou, pointing Sam toward the oddly dressed man.

Sam shook his hand, and the man, stuffy and uptight as he was, began to speak down his nose. "Yes," sniffed the man, looking at Sam through the pair of glasses he had held up to his face, "I was here today to renew your Uncle's license to be a Breeder, and I noticed yours was about due as well. I don't normally do this, but it would be so much more efficient if I squeezed you in now."

Sam wanted to groan and complain. He loved being a Breeder, but he hated the test. So much studying was involved, and Sam had forgotten all about it. He thought he would've had more time than this and he wasn't prepared. But he had no choice.

"It's just a written test, right?" asked Sam as Mr. Donovan began to rummage through his battered leather briefcase.

He looked up, pausing for a second and then smiled widely. "Not anymore. We've added another part to it now," he said simply, as if he was deciding what flavor ice cream to have, "The other part is an evaluation of your relationship, cooperation, and teamwork with your Pokémon. As well as an examination of their care, grooming, maintenance and rearing methods."

Sam paused for a minute, his mind going right to his Gible. He had tried to make a few attempts to bond with it the past few days since its capture, but each time he did the Pokémon tried to bite or attack him. Sam knew that that kind of behavior could cost him his Breeder's License.

"All right, let's get started then," said Sam, feigning excitement, and preparedness. In truth, he wished that he could have another week or two to do this. By then he could have Gible under control and working well as part of his team.

"Before I go, do you think I could leave this egg in one of the incubators?" asked Sam, holding his egg out towards his uncle.

Sam's uncle nodded and took the egg. "Good luck," he whispered as Sam walked back towards Mr. Donovan who had pulled a stack of papers out of his briefcase and began walking back into the farmhouse.

Uncle Lou turned back towards the others and pointed towards the barn as he spoke. "Come with me in there," he said, the egg tucked underneath his arm carefully, "I'll place this egg in the incubator and we can grab some Rapidash. I'll show you what a day at this ranch looks like."

"Sweet!" exclaimed Jeremy, "I've always wanted to see what ranching and farming was like."

"Learning some breeding skills might be good for your training," said Niya to Alyssandra, "And I can put some of the tactics I've learned in Pokémon Trainer Weekly to good use."

"You subscribe to that magazine too?" asked Uncle Lou as the group headed towards the barn.

Niya nodded. "I find the articles very helpful as a Trainer and Coordinator, and it's great for travel advice. I'm helping train Sam and Alyssandra to become better at their respectively fields. That magazine does wonders as a teaching guide—though skill and experience are also a great help, and I've got tons of that."

Uncle Lou laughed. "You'd make a good Breeder," he said, "Your attention to detail, and your ability to keep up to date with the modern methods and respect for the traditional ones is exactly how we run things here."

"Maybe I'll come back and apply for a job one day, once all our travelling is done," joked Niya.

The group reached the barn, and as Sam's Uncle threw it open they could see the many types of Pokémon kept within. Rapidash and Ponyta, Miltank and Tauros; even Spearow and Fearow roosted in the rafters with the Starly, Staravia and Staraptor.

"These are just a fraction of the Pokémon we have here," explained Lou, "These are what we classify as 'Barnyard Pokémon', so we usually keep them in the barn when they're not grazing or out in the fields. We have other barns and sheltered habitats for other types of Pokémon and such. But they're much father out in the fields than this."

Lou explained the breakdown of the ranch as he walked over to a large machine, placing the egg—and the glass container it was in—inside an oven-looking opening. Everyone assumed that was the heated chamber where the eggs were incubated.

"Isn't that too much heat?" asked Alyssandra, "It's technically already in a miniature, portable incubator."

"Actually, the portable incubators provide very little heat, and are more meant for keeping the egg safe," explained Lou, "Breeder's usually use these things when the egg is close to hatching or when travelling. You wouldn't happen to know how far along this egg is, would you?" Alyssandra shook her head, and Sam's Uncle simply shrugged. "He's lucky though. It's not always you find an Eevee egg."

Niya raised an eyebrow. "That's an Eevee egg?" she asked, "How can you tell?"

"The ring patterns," explained Uncle Lou, pointing at the egg from behind the glass, "The brown and white jagged rings give it away. Hasn't Sam identified it yet?"

The group shrugged. "If he has, he hasn't told us," replied Alyssandra.

Uncle Lou shrugged again. "Well, I've taught my nephew enough to trust he knows what he's doing," he said with a smile.

Alyssandra nodded. "He's quite the good Breeder," trying to defend Sam's reputation, "Sam's good with his Pokémon, and he bonds with them quickly. I'm sure you've heard from Professor Rowan or his grandmother that he's able to communicate with his Empoleon without even speaking to it."

Uncle Lou raised an eyebrow with intrigue, not only at Alyssandra's claims at Sam's Pokémon telepathy, but at her sudden—and partially unnecessary—defense of Sam's skills as a Pokémon Breeder.

Alyssandra noticed this as well because she quickly ended the subject. She wasn't sure why, but she felt the need to make a good impression in front of Sam's family, for herself and for an absent Sam.

"I'm sure he's as good as you say," said Uncle Lou politely, not wanting Alyssandra to feel embarrassed, "Though I haven't heard these rumors—this sounds very intriguing. What does Professor Rowan say about Sam's connection to his Empoleon?"

Niya stepped up for Alyssandra, watching Uncle Lou gather several harnesses and saddles and bringing them towards the Rapidash pen.

"Professor Rowan couldn't explain it either," she stated, "He was amazed, though he says that Professor Oak calls it the Pokémon-Trainer Bond, and it occurs when a Trainer and their Pokémon are extremely close. He didn't say much else about it though, it was during the middle of a battle so most of us were paying attention to the fight."

Uncle Lou nodded and scratched the light surface of stubble that covered his face. "I see, interesting," he said simply.

The next few minutes passed silently as Lou prepared several Rapidash for riding. He soon reappeared on the back of a Rapidash, leading three others in tow. All three of them stood there, majestic, and proud, their manes flowing with a bright and passionate fire.

But the last one, the fourth, stood just as proud, but it's mane, instead of the usual orange and red flame, was a proud grey-blue, mixed with shades of white. It was oddly coloured, yet still just as beautiful a remarkable sight, if not more so than the other Rapidash.

"What's up with that one?" asked Jeremy, pointing to the oddly coloured Pokémon.

Uncle Lou looked back and smiled. "I'm glad you asked," he said cheerily, "You see, that's what people call a Shiny Pokémon. Not because they sparkle or anything, but because they're oddly coloured."

"I've heard of them," said Niya pensively, "They're extremely rare, the odds of finding one in the wild or through breeding your Pokémon is extremely small. You have a better chance of winning the lottery, some say."

"Wow," said Jeremy, impressed, "That's cool. So, who's is it? Is there a story behind it?"

Uncle Lou nodded. "Yes, its Sam's," he said nostalgically, "It was the first time my brother and I let Sam handle, care for, incubate and hatch an egg. The Ponyta that came out had a blue flame, instead of the usual red one, and it _was_ supposed to be Sam's birthday gift, so we just let him keep it. He bonded with it, and every time Sam came to the ranch he'd use the Ponyta to help do his chores. Eventually it evolved into a Rapidash, and it always travelled to the ranch Sam was at. He calls it Grey Flame, because of its oddly coloured fire."

Alyssandra smiled; she couldn't help but think how cute that was, but it was also very nice to see one of Sam's oldest Pokémon, even before he became a Trainer.

Before Alyssandra knew what was happening, Grey Flame walked towards her, and began to sniff the air around her. Alyssandra froze, standing still, as not to spook it, and just as quick as it had come to her, it started to nuzzle her cheek.

Uncle Lou looked at the scene with amazement. "Grey Flame doesn't usually take well to others, at least those who aren't with Sam when they're introduced to him," explained Sam's Uncle, "I don't know much about the Trainer-Pokémon Bond, but I do know that Pokémon and Trainers get very close. I suppose Grey Flame can sense that you're also very close with Sam. So, I guess this means you'll be riding him today."

Alyssandra stroked the Rapidash's neck gently and hugged it closely. She was okay with that. The heat from its flame was warming and inviting, more so than the other Rapidash, and it was nice to have the special Pokémon.

Niya and Jeremy got onto the other Rapidash, while Alyssandra struggled to pull herself up onto Grey Flame. She refused help several times, but after many failed attempts and several heavy tugs on the straps of the saddle, Alyssandra was finally mounted upon the Pokémon.

"All right, kids," said Uncle Lou as the group exited the barn on their Pokémon, "Let's get going to the fields. We're going to bring some Miltank and Tauros home from the outer fields and keep them in the fields near the barn. We're going to ride there, are you all familiar with the control commands?"

Everyone shook their heads, and Sam's Uncle began to explain. "Our Rapidash are trained with voice commands. The reins are merely there as reinforcement. If you want the horse to go, you have to use the corresponding verbal cue. Like so—" Lou make a click sound from the side of his mouth using his tongue to demonstrate "—One click is a walk, two is a trot. To canter, you make a kissing noise—" Lou demonstrated again, puckering his lips and making a quick puckering noise "—like so. That indicates for the Rapidash to canter. Two of those is gallop."

Everyone nodded, and he continued.

"To slow down is 'easy', to stop completely is 'whoa'," he explained, "If you want to turn right, you tug on the right rein and say 'gee', for left, tug the left rein and saw 'haw.' Do you all understand?"

Once again, everyone nodded, though a bit more confused than before. Uncle Lou noticed this and calmed them down with a small smile. "You'll learn by doing, I suppose," he said, spinning his Pokémon around, facing the road they were to follow, "And if you forget just ask. Now come on, let's get going."

Uncle Lou made a short kissing noise and his Rapidash began to move.

The Pokémon began to canter down the road, and after a few tries, Niya, Jeremy and Alyssandra were following him down the road a little behind.

Sam sat nervously at his desk as his placed his pencil down on the table.

It took him two hours to finish his test, which was now a mound of filled out papers on his uncle's desk. It was ridiculous how much writing he had to do.

Theory after theory, after theory, after practice, after procedure, after medicinal recipe, after proper herbal names, after medicine, after annoying, little meticulous detail.

Sam's head was pounding, and he never wanted to write the test again—though he knew in another four years he would have to, and it pained him more than anything knowing this.

But now was the worst part, the part where he would have to show how well he got along with his Pokémon to Mr. Donovan.

Empoleon would be a good way to start or end, probably better as an end, because after he pulled out Gible he'd need a lot to make up for it.

Mr. Donovan took Sam's test and placed it in his briefcase. "The results of your test should be sent back to you shortly," explained Mr. Donovan, "I have them checked back at my office in Hearthome City, and I'll send you the results once it's marked. But right now, it's time for the Pokémon-Trainer Cooperation test. These results you'll get back right away."

Sam dabbed at some nervous sweat with his wrist and stood up.

"Come with me," said Mr. Donovan, "We'll do the test out in the back—we don't want to mess anything up in here."

Sam silently followed Mr. Donovan out to the back of the farmhouse. For once Sam wished that he had only a few Pokémon in his team, and then this test would be over faster.

But he had five, not including the Pokémon that would inevitably hatch from the egg and whatever other Pokémon he caught along the way that he would keep on him.

"Release your first Pokémon please," said Mr. Donovan, pulling out a clipboard and pencil, ready to write down everything Sam did.

Sam nodded, still silent, and chose his first Pokémon. He played it safe and first released his Staravia. It erupted from the Poké Ball and let out a proud cry.

"Staraaaavia!"

Sam called to him, and the Pokémon landed beside Sam on the ground.

Mr. Donovan nodded and knelt down to look at the Pokémon. "First, I will look at your Pokémon's health. Assess how well you've raised it and how you've kept it," explained Mr. Donovan, "And then I'll ask you to use a few maneuvers and combinations you two have worked on in order to test your teamwork together. I understand you're entered in the Pokémon League to get your Gym Badges, so that shouldn't be too difficult for you."

Sam nodded, still silent.

Mr. Donovan looked over Staravia, measuring its wings and tail feathers and even the curl on the top of its head. He examined its claws, its beak, and the sheen of its feathers, and when he was done, he stepped back with a confident nod and scrawled something fast on his clipboard.

"All right," said Mr. Donovan finally, "I'll have you attack that target over there."

Mr. Donovan pointed towards a straw dummy. It looked heavily abused and beaten, and Sam was sure his uncle kept it around as a practice dummy for his own Pokémon team in times leading up to these tests or for training Ranch Pokémon.

Sam let out a small exhalation of breath, just as Niya taught him, and kept his cool. He leveled his breathing to an even rate and slowed his heartbeat down to a relaxed pace. Now was his time to shine.

"Staravia!" cried Sam, "Go in for a Quick Attack! Then double back and finish it off with a Steel Wing!"

Staravia flew towards its target at top speeds and passed right by the straw dummy.

The dummy moved, and a small dent appeared in the side of the dry straw. In a flawless maneuver, it flew up in the air, spinning in a helix as it did, and then doubled back, swooping down, its wings glowing white. Within seconds it had lapped the target again and slashed right through the side with its wings.

It swooped back in towards Sam, and leveled out, slowing down, and landing gently on Sam's outstretched arm.

Mr. Donovan nodded. "Very good," he said calmly, "You two work well together. Now, release your next Pokémon."

Sam thanked Staravia and returned him to his Poké Ball. Next, he selected Cranidos. Sam hadn't used his Cranidos too much, but he had tried working with her a lot in the past week, and she was working with him a lot better than Gible was, so she was definitely worth a shot.

Besides, Sam could follow her up with Luxray if anything went wrong. Of all of Sam's Pokémon, his Luxray, Staravia and Empoleon had been with him the longest, and worked best with him. They were his main go-to Pokémon.

But Sam knew he needed to start branching into his new Pokémon, or they'd never be usable for battle, and he'd need every Pokémon he had for the Elite Four and for Valentina.

"Go, Cranidos!" called Sam, "Let's show people what we've got!"

Cranidos landed on the ground, her pride evident from her magnificent cry. "Craaaaaanidos! Craaa!" she roared in her small, yet loud voice.

Mr. Donovan let out a small chuckle. "It certainly has lots of spirit," he noted, "And you don't see too many Trainers with Cranidos. Have you had her long?"

"A week or two," said Sam, "She's a fairly new addition to my team, but she's full of spirit as you see."

"I see," said Mr. Donovan before he fell silent and began examining Cranidos.

Sam's Pokémon wasn't too happy about it, as it snorted in annoyance as Mr. Donovan attempted to look inside its mouth and examine its teeth.

"A bit of a temper," he sniffed, "But that's to be expected from these Pokémon. It's only natural, and it's new to you, so you'll have plenty of time in the future for you to fix this kind of behavior through training. Let's see what it can do."

And so, this was how the remainder of the hour went for Sam.

With Cranidos, he showed off the sheer power the Pokémon held in a single Headbutt. That attack shattered the dummy and sent it flying back several feet.

It was replaced by one of the farm hands, and Cranidos was returned to its Poké Ball, its performance seemingly acceptable.

Next, Sam unleashed Luxray, knowing full well that his third oldest Pokémon would be able to impress Mr. Donovan just as much as Staravia had.

Unleashing his Luxray proved well. Within minutes Luxray had proved himself more than impressive, using his array of Electric attacks and his Iron Tail to bring down the dummy, once more needing for it to be replaced.

Mr. Donovan again, allowed Luxray to return to his Poké Ball without a word, and so Sam let out his next to last Pokémon.

He knew it would either be Gible or Empoleon. Either one could make the entire test go either way.

If he brought out Empoleon first, maybe Mr. Donovan could overlook Gible, and any screw-ups that might occur with using him.

But if Mr. Donovan didn't, Sam was in trouble; which meant that Sam should send out Gible first. If Sam screwed up with him, he could make up for it with Empoleon and his non-verbal commands.

But, at the same time, Sam worried that if Mr. Donovan was as big a stickler for the rules as he seemed, nothing Sam could do would make up for Gible screwing up.

Sam exhaled again, and once more let his heart rate drop. He felt his nerves go down like Niya taught him and blindly, calmly, reached for a Poké Ball, praying with every fiber of his being that whatever he chose, all would go well.

Jeremy, Niya and Alyssandra leaned against the fence draining their canteens of water.

Uncle Lou returned to them and dismounted his Rapidash, tying it up to the fence where the group had tied theirs. They had been ranching all day, riding across the fields, from fenced-in field to fenced-in field—as they were all connected—in order to bring a herd of Miltank and Tauros back towards the main farmhouse.

The Pokémon were now happily grazing in a field a few kilometers north of where the farmhouse sat.

Jeremy had fallen off his Rapidash once or twice, and Alyssandra almost got attacked by a Tauros while trying to prod them through the fence one at a time. But after much frying under the sun and a lot of laughs, they had finally made it.

"That was fun," exclaimed Jeremy, "I can see why Sam loves spending his summers here!"

"I'm sure Sam's a bit more of a help than we were," winked Niya with a laugh.

Alyssandra chuckled, and even Jeremy and Uncle Lou joined in. "Well, Sam's had a few more years training than you guys," he said defensively, "But you were a big help too. Besides, when Sam first started out he used to make mistakes just like you guys. No one's perfect, right?"

"Least of all Sam," joked Jeremy.

Again, everyone laughed, but it was cut short by a loud, double honk. Everyone wheeled around to see Sam pulling up down the road in the truck. He stopped the car, halting it at the side of the road and ran towards them, smiling wide.

"How'd it go?" asked Sam's Uncle as he leaned back on the fence.

"I think I passed," said Sam happily, "At least, that's what Mr. Donovan told me. I passed the Pokémon-Trainer Cooperation test and I did so with flying colours!"

"Congrats!" cheered Alyssandra, giving Sam a small hug.

Niya and Jeremy shook his hand, and Sam's Uncle clapped him on the back with pride.

"How'd you get Gible to work with you?" asked Niya curiously, "He wanted to bite your head off the other day."

"It wasn't my head he was aiming for," laughed Sam, "But honestly I don't know. All of a sudden, he was responsive, and worked really well with me. Working with Gible was like working with Empoleon. It's like he _knew_ what I wanted him to do, and the feeling I got working with him was really familiar like Empoleon too. It was amazing to behold. You should've seen Mr. Donovan's face after Empoleon and Gible were finished their display!"

"Well, that's good then," said Alyssandra happily, "Now you have one more Pokémon you can use in your gym battles without worry."

"I know," said Sam as he rubbed his hands together, "I'm thinking of using Gible in the next Gym Battle I have. I have a good feeling about him."

"You should. I think—" started Jeremy, but before he could finish.

Sam had walked off towards the Rapidash. His face was in awe as he looked upon the one with grey fire bursting from his neck. The Rapidash whinnied and attempted to break free from the harness before Sam came by to untie it.

Sam hugged the Pokémon tight around the neck. "It's Grey Flame!" he exclaimed happily, "I thought he was out in the Kanto Region, helping Uncle Agostino with his ranch work there?"

"I had him transferred back here," smiled Uncle Lou.

"Why though?" asked Sam, "I mean, you didn't need to take Grey Flame back if he was still needed."

"I spoke with my brother and he agreed you need Grey Flame more than him now," smiled Uncle Lou as he walked over to Sam, "I did say I had a gift for you, and this is it. You're a Pokémon Trainer now, the more Pokémon you have the better."

Sam smiled, and he and his uncle embraced in a hug.

As they finished their hug, Uncle Lou looked over at Jeremy and Niya and Alyssandra and gave them a look that prompted them to walk over towards Sam and him and join them for a talk.

"Now, I have something else to tell you all," started Uncle Lou slowly as he stepped back to lean against the fence again, "Professor Rowan told me you discovered ancient Pokémon living in the Mt. Coronet foot hills."

Everyone nodded, and Uncle Lou continued. "Well, when they passed by the ranch we had them wrangled—humanely of course—and brought to an area of our ranch that emulates where they like to live. We have them living here under conservation; hundreds of Rampardos, Cranidos, Bastiodon and Shieldon. Jeremy, I've been using your Bastiodon and Rampardos, and your Shieldon, Sam, to help us communicate with the ancient Pokémon. They're just guests, so they aren't available for sale and our protection of them is only known to Professor Rowan and a few of his trusted colleagues, Professor Birch, Professor Oak, Professor Juniper, and Professor Elm. We've also kept Valentina from the Pokémon League in the loop, and she agrees with the need for secrecy. We're keeping them here to protect them from Team Galactic and others who would do them wrong."

Sam bit his lip nervously. "Are you sure that's wise?" he asked, worried for the safety of his uncle, the farmhands and the other Pokémon of the ranch, "That's taking a big risk, isn't it? Team Galactic is determined to fulfill their goals, and if their goals involve taking ancient Pokémon then they'll do it no matter what."

Uncle Lou nodded. "Yes, but it's better than leaving them unprotected in the wild," he said firmly, "Besides, no one knows they've been moved into captivity. If Team Galactic goes around looking across Mt. Coronet they won't find them. They won't think to look here. No one would think we've taken them."

Sam nodded. "I suppose you're right. But be careful," he said with warning, "We don't want anything happening to the workers, the other Pokémon or us, you know."

Uncle Lou raised an eyebrow. "When have you ever been one to look out for personal safety?" he asked.

Alyssandra, Jeremy and Niya laughed in agreement, and even Sam let out a chuckle. But nothing was said further. Sam knew it was the best choice.

After the conversation finished, everyone mounted their Rapidash, except for Alyssandra who jumped onto Grey Flame behind Sam, holding on tight to his waist as they raced back towards the farmhouse.

A farmhand brought the truck back to where Hunter's stall was, in case someone else would need it later.

As the group reached the farmhouse, they knew that it was time to relax after a day of hard work for everyone. All they needed to do now was unpack a bit, maybe take a small power nap, and then prepare for dinner and they would spend the night at the ranch before leaving in the morning.

Finally, things felt like they did before Eterna and Route 205.

People were happy, giddy, in good spirits and there was good luck and cheer abundance.

Things were finally back on track.


	39. 37 - The Curse of Mt Coronet

~ Chapter 37 ~

The Curse of Mt. Coronet

" _After leaving the ranch, we reached Route 207. We were fully restocked with supplies, and we were ready to go through the caverns of Mt. Coronet. The central mountain for which the entire chain got its name is the largest in all of Sinnoh, but also the most dangerous. It was filled with more than just Geodude, Graveler, Zubat and Golbat. There were another dangerous Pokémon, and, some say that there were Legendary Pokémon living in Mt. Coronet. Worse than that was the curse said to reside on the entire mountain chain; a deadly curse that is said to kill all who travel through, on or under Mt. Coronet. You can see why we felt uncomfortable travelling through it? And it didn't help that we got separated—again."_

The group stared up at the large, black mountain.

It was steep and stood higher than the sky. Its peak hidden by the clouds. The entire mountain chain itself was ominous. That's why many people felt superstitious about it. But the central mountain, the one that the whole mountain chain was named after, was the worst of all.

At the top, was the Spear Pillar. One of the oldest, and most powerful of ruins across all of the Sinnoh Region, maybe even the world. Not much was known about it. People didn't go to the Spear Pillar anymore. Not in thousands of years.

"This place gives me the chills," said Alyssandra with slight shivers as the four teenagers sat on the side of the dirt road on Route 207, taking a small break for lunch.

Jeremy nodded in agreement, and Sam made a motion with his hand that he gave his support.

Even Niya felt a weird feeling coming from the whole mountain.

It was bad luck. But it divided Sinnoh in half, and anyone looking to get to the northern most areas, or cross from east to west and vice versa, needed to traverse the mountain. Going through it was a lot safer than going over it.

"I thought they were going to build a railway service through the mountain to make it safer for travelers without Pokémon?" pointed out Jeremy, noticing a visible lack of tracks.

Niya responded. "Too many problems while constructing it," she explained, "The workers kept having accidents, so the project was called off. That's why the Eastern Sinnoh Rail will probably forever remain just that; eastern."

"The ancient tales aren't true, are they?" asked Alyssandra, hoping the answer was no, "Aren't they just stories made up by people in Sinnoh to scare tourists?"

"I'd love to say yes, Lyss," started Sam, "But even I know if these stories are real or not. You know how I am, not much scares me, but this mountain really gives me a weird feeling. I don't know what to make of it, but there's definitely something big in there."

The group fell silent, and Niya let out a small laugh. "Do you remember how Sam's grandfather used to scare us with the stories of Mount Coronet and why people first abandoned it?"

"He told us that the people who once lived in ancient Sinnoh lived up in the top of Mount Coronet and the surrounding mountain chain, and that they used to worship the gods together at the Spear Pillar. It was said that the Spear Pillar was the resting place for the creator gods of the world, and from where they created most of the Earth. But one day, some of the people started warring, with each other."

"The fighting got so out of hand that it actually split over into the Spear Pillar and people began fighting during their annual prayer ceremony until many were wounded and killed. Angered that the humans had begun acting savagely, the creator gods commanded them to leave the Spear Pillar and all of the surrounding mountains, lest they all be struck by disaster. Scared by the gods, all of the ancient people of Sinnoh left their mountain homes immediately, and escaped into the valleys below, settling in places that eventually became the towns and cities we know today."

"And since that day, no one who didn't have a death wish has ever gone back up to the Spear Pillar. Every time someone unworthy passes through Mount Coronet, the gods judge them, and meet ill fates at the hands of the curse."

Alyssandra hugged herself like she was cold as she remembered. "It was eerie the way he used to tell that story," she said, though she smiled a bit as she remembered, "We got so scared one time we refused to sleep without each other for three days, remember?"

Sam laughed. "And my grandmother got so mad at him for scaring us like that."

He fell silent for a moment, as he remembered how his grandfather used to love entertaining Sam and his friends. He loved all of them like they were all his grandchildren.

"My grandfather always told me that he was proud of me for the friends I made," said Sam softly, "I guess he could see how close we were and how much we cared about each other even back then. It always used to make him happy when we were together. Now I think I know why. It used to remind him of his travels with Professor Rowan."

The group fell silent again for a second time before Sam gave a small laugh. "Well, no time to waste," he said, standing up and brushing the dirt off his body, then picking up his bag and slinging it over his shoulder.

"Hey, Sam, what happened to your Eevee egg?" asked Niya, pointing to Sam's emptier looking bag, as she strapped her backpack on tighter, "I thought you'd be keeping it on you while you travelled."

Sam shook his head. "I agree that eggs should be kept close to the Trainer, but Mt. Coronet could be dangerous, and I don't always trust the portable incubators in a pinch," he explained, "It'll be safer to keep the egg in the industrial incubator at the Ranch until it's closer to hatching."

Niya rolled her eyes. "Good to know," she joked, "But why not keep the egg with an Eevee? Isn't that better than an incubator?"

"Not always," answered Sam, "Pokémon can often get attached to eggs their given, even if they're not their own, and that just makes it harder to take the egg away when it's close to hatching."

Niya nodded, pretending to understand everything, and Sam chuckled in response.

The group slowly approached the mountain, but before anyone could take his first step, Alyssandra raised her hand as if to halt everyone. "Wait!" she said frantically, "Let me just do something first!"

"What's that?" asked Jeremy, kneeling down to watch Alyssandra rummage through her bag, "Did you forget to put your makeup on properly this morning?"

Sam and Jeremy laughed, and even Niya let out a small "ha-ha" before they fell silent at Alyssandra's glare.

"No," she said defiantly, "I just want to use that Everstone I got from Sam's uncle first."

"Oh, so you've decided whether or not your evolving your Pokémon?" asked Sam curiously.

"Let's hope you choose to use it on all of your Pokémon," said Niya with a tone of seriousness.

Sam raised an eyebrow curiously and looked at her. "Do you really hate evolution that much?" he wondered.

Niya shrugged and simply said. "I have my reasons," before going quiet to let Alyssandra continue.

"I've already evolved Lopunny and Cherrim," said Alyssandra happily, "But I've decided to not evolve Piplup or Shinx. I'm going to leave them as is, but I will evolve the rest of my Pokémon—should they so wish."

"What do you mean?" asked Sam, "You ask your Pokémon if they want to evolve?"

Alyssandra nodded. "I talked it over with Piplup, Shinx, Eevee and Budew," explained Alyssandra with a wide grin, "The other two weren't sure yet, but Shinx and Piplup didn't want to evolve. Evolution is a big part of a Pokémon's life, and it's a major step. I couldn't decide, and it's not just fair—at least in my eyes—to force them to evolve if they don't want to. Even if in the end they come to enjoy it, it's still not right. So, I asked my Pokémon and they told me."

Sam laughed and rolled his eyes. "You take compassion for your Pokémon to a whole new level," he joked, "But I do have to admire you for it. Well, if that's your choice, by all means we'll wait."

And so, the group did, as Alyssandra fumbled through her shoulder bag, pulling out all sorts of things she kept in there.

Finally, after releasing her Piplup and Shinx, she pulled out a small, round, grey stone that looked like something one would pull out a riverbed. It was smooth and looked like the rolling motion of a river had beaten the rough edges away after many years.

But Sam knew better.

This was an Everstone. A rare stone made rare because of its properties, and one of the rarest of the evolution stones. Most evolution stones cause Pokémon to evolve in certain ways depending on type or use. But the Everstone did the exact opposite and prevented Pokémon from ever evolving after one touch.

Sam watched as Shinx and Piplup touch the stone and become enveloped in a white light, similar to that of evolution.

But after a few seconds, the light dispersed and sparkled in the air, floating down to the ground like falling leave. The Pokémon remained the same and unchanged.

The evolution cycle was broken permanently.

Alyssandra thanked her Pokémon and returned them to their Poké Balls and began to shovel things back into her bag in a rush.

As she did, Sam knelt down, noticing something that caught his eye. He picked it up and examined it. It was stone, smooth and shiny, almost like it was a gemstone, but it was also partially covered in moss. It was the same size as a Poké Ball, fitting in the palm of one hand like some kind of misshapen orb.

"Where did you get this?" asked Sam, "I've never seen something like this before. Is this a gemstone?"

Alyssandra looked it over, trying to remember how she had come to possess it, and then finally remembered after several minutes of pondering.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, "It was in the cave in Eterna Forest. I spent a few days camped out there while you were passed out, so I did some exploring. While I was in the cave, I found this large stone, like the one here but much, much larger. It was kind of cool, and I wanted to see if it was useful for anything Pokémon related so I took some. I couldn't move the large rock, but that entire part of the cave seemed to be made from it, so I just grabbed a small one and put it in my bag. I don't know what it does though. I want to have Professor Rowan look at it next time we're at a Pokémon Centre."

Sam nodded and placed the rock back in Alyssandra's bag for her. "I'd like to know what it does as well. I feel like I should know this but…I'm completely drawing a blank it seems. But the stone looks familiar, that much is certain."

"Come on, let's get going," said Jeremy suddenly, shuffling around on the spot as a breeze blew through the valley. He had been unusually quiet today, perhaps because of the location, or because he was just tired, though Sam guessed it was the former.

Sam nodded. "No need to linger here longer than needed," he finished for Jeremy, "I get it."

With that, the group set off towards their destination.

If all went well, they'd be able to pass through Mount Coronet in a day or two. Three if there were problems, but anything longer than that and they would be asking for trouble.

Besides, Alyssandra needed to make it to Hearthome City as soon as possible to register for the Hearthome City Pokémon Contest and time was of the essence.

The group climbed up several crudely hewn steps, carved from the side of the mountain what seemed like eons ago. They were worn by weather and strewn with falling rocks, pebbles and boulders that had fallen down from the cliffs above.

After two flights of stairs, the group reached a large, massive, roughly carved hole in the side of the mountain.

The caverns inside of Mount Coronet were natural, but the tunnels leading into them were manmade and supposedly thousands of years old.

"Are you ready?" asked Sam ominously, feeling the hot air flow into his face from within the caverns itself, like the breath of a great beast.

Everyone else nodded, not wanting to speak lest the noise cause something bad to happen.

Together, a little afraid, but ready to brave what they had to for the sake of their adventure, the group stepped into the darkness. Their flashlights in hand, standing close to each other, heading deeper into the belly of the beast.

The group stared in awe as they looked upon the caverns of Mount Coronet.

After walking for an hour through narrow tunnels, the group had finally made it to the caverns, and they couldn't believe that something so beautiful existed within caves so sinister and evil. Something supposedly plagued with curses older than the region itself.

It was wondrous.

As far as they could see there were high ceilings and large stone pillars. Crystals giving off various colours and lights, protruding from the ceilings, floors, and walls.

There were pools of water, large and small, deep, and shallow.

There were raised areas with more carved steps in the side of them, and openings like windows and doors that led to hollowed out spaces within them.

These places must once have been houses.

It looked like a large underground city.

"I heard that these caverns were once used by the ancient peoples as safe areas during bad weather and heavy winters," explained Niya, as if echoing the thoughts everyone was having about the way the place looked, "And during certain times of the year, this was a market where traders from different tribes would sell and trade their wares. It was even used for storehouses at certain points. It all depended on necessity. The people of ancient Sinnoh were quite advanced considering how long ago it was."

"Can you imagine what it must've been like for them to leave?" asked Sam, the thought coming to him suddenly.

The ancient tribes had such an intricate life here that they devoted many generations towards building. They had everything they could ever possibly want, but the greed of mankind clouded their minds and as a result they paid for their bloodlust with their homes. Their lives were uprooted because they could not learn to make their own peace, and in the end, they begot their own destruction and upheaval.

The group kept walking through the cavern, sidestepping puddles, and large rocks.

They used compasses to find their way around. With each of them keeping an eye on another's directions. They weren't getting lost in this cave—not if they could help it.

After another few minutes, the group stopped once more. This time looking up at one of the raised rocky areas. Upon it stood a tall man, with spiky blue hair. He looked gaunt, and aged, maybe even a little angry.

He was focusing hard on something. Looking towards the ceiling.

Suddenly, the man turned around and walked down the steps. He paused, looking at each of the group, then held out his hand.

"Hello," he said calmly, almost without feeling "I am Professor Yarrow, Professor of Anthropology and Pokémonthropology at Sin U. Who might you all be?"

"Uh, well, I'm Sam," stated Sam very uneasily.

It was as if that man knew they were all there before he had turned around. Like he had been expecting them to show up. It was freaky.

"I'm Alyssandra," Alyssandra said next, putting on an air of friendliness.

Niya introduced herself next, just giving her first name and a hello.

Last came Jeremy, who nervously gave his first and last names and extended his hand in return to be shook.

Everyone else followed Jeremy in shaking Professor Yarrow's hand, and as Sam did, he took the time to examine the Professor carefully.

He wore a plain white lab coat over brown pants and a dark navy dress shirt. His shirt was tucked into his pants, which were supported by a black leather belt.

In Professor Yarrow's breast pocket sat a pair of glasses, probably for reading, as the Professor did not seem to need to wear them all the time.

"If you don't mind me asking," stated the Professor, breaking Sam's concentration, "What are a group of young teenagers like yourself doing in a dangerous place like this?"

His voice was soft. Like a gentle summer breeze. Deep, full of wisdom and knowledge. He spoke in a whisper, almost.

Alyssandra was the first to answer, responding to Professor Yarrow as comfortably as she would one of her friends. "We're on our way to Hearthome City," she said, "I have a Pokémon Contest there, and afterwards we're going to keep travelling on our Pokémon Journey. I'm not sure where Sam's next Gym Battle is, but we'll probably head wherever that is after."

"Ah, fascinating," said Professor Yarrow as he stroked his chin, "A Pokémon Coordinator and a Pokémon Trainer."

Sam and Niya looked at each other. They weren't sure if what Alyssandra did was a good or bad thing. But Sam knew what he needed to do next to keep the Professor from getting too interested in the group.

"How about you?" asked Sam, "What are you doing out in the middle of Mount Coronet staring at the ceiling?"

Professor Yarrow gave a small smile and a brief laugh, the first form of emotion anyone had seen him give since meeting him.

"I am here studying the ancient cultures of Sinnoh. I want to see the relationship between the ancient peoples and the Legendary Pokémon that are said to have created the world," explained the Professor, "As the old legends go, they were very close to the Pokémon, and even worshipped them at the Spear Pillar before they were driven from their homes for their…indiscretions."

"You see, according to one theory, Mount Coronet is where the Sinnoh Region began. In a newly created world, a world where only time flowed, and space expanded. There should have been no strife…but what became of the world?"

"Because the human spirit is weak and incomplete strife has spread—just like when the ancient Pokémon forced the warring humans from their mountain homes down into the valleys below. The world is being ruined by it. I find this state of affairs deplorable…ah! Forgive me! I tend to wander sometimes."

Sam and Niya looked at each other again, this time a bit more worried about this man's sanity than before.

"Forgive me, Professor," said Sam politely, "I do find your studies quite interesting—I'm a bit of a history fan myself—but I do have a question. Your research seems familiar; do you know a Markus Alexios?"

Professor Yarrow looked at Sam calmly, but had a pensive look in his eyes. "I have heard of him," said Yarrow gently, "But he is much before my time. When he was…cast from the scientific community six years ago I was still studying to get my first degree at Sin U. But his work did come to inspire me, I will admit—not to the extent that it inspired him, of course. Did you know him?"

Sam shook his head gently. "No," he lied.

And in truth, he wasn't entirely wrong, he never knew Markus Alexios. Not really.

"Forgive me," said Professor Yarrow, chewing on the tips of his glasses, "But I suddenly remember you from somewhere; you, Jeremy, and you, Sam. We have met before, no?"

Sam and Jeremy thought hard about it, and after several moments of thought, they finally remembered.

"Oh yeah!" said Jeremy in revelation, "I saw you before at Eterna Park, by the statue of the ancient Pokémon."

"I remember you…you were at Lake Verity that day," said Sam, "Last fall, you were standing by the lake one morning, looking out at the cave."

"Ah, of course!" cried Professor Yarrow, "Yes, yes, yes, yes. I remember now, I didn't speak to you directly. I was rushed on both occasions, and I didn't have much time on my hands, but I passed by you both. I—"

A small beep sounded from nowhere, and Professor Yarrow instantly looked down at his Pokétch.

"Ah, blast it," he said calmly, "I am going to be late for a meeting—I must return to Oreburgh City. Please forgive me for my brevity. We will meet again I'm sure. It was nice to see you two again, and to meet the rest of you. Good day!"

With that quick exit, Professor Yarrow was gone, walking off towards the other end of the magnificent cavern. Towards the tunnel that led to Route 207 and thus Oreburgh City.

No one said anything until he was well out of sight, and even then, just to be sure that nothing they said was bounced off the wall and echoed towards him.

They kept walking the other way. They climbed up and over the raised mound of stone and kept going.

After ten minutes, they finally stopped by a large stone pillar that reached up to the massively high ceiling.

The group leaned their bags against the pillar and sat down as Niya began passing out sandwiches for a small break.

"Lyss," started Sam delicately, "I'm not mad at you, but when you answered Professor Yarrow's question…you kind of gave away a bit too much information."

"I did, didn't I?" she said with a bit of worry, "I'm so sorry, I just didn't want to seem like we were uncomfortable, and I guess I was too nervous and rambled—I'm really sorry."

Sam laughed and shook his head. "It's okay," he said, "Just next time be careful about how much you give away. We never know who people might really be." Jeremy took a bite out of his sandwich. "When he said what he was studying," started Jeremy, pausing between bites, "It reminded me of Professor Alexios. But why was Alexios cast out for studying Legendary Pokémon and Yarrow not?"

"I don't know," responded Niya, "But I say we ask Professor Rowan next time we see him. He'll know if his Yarrow guy is telling the truth or not."

Sam watched his friends finish their sandwiches in silence; all he could do was remember what Yarrow had said at the lake that day.

Sam was going to the lake for one of his early morning walks. Normally he would merely sit and think, but that day he had gone with the intention of fishing. He had brought his own rod and bait, but when he reached Lake Verity, he paused and noticed a man standing by the water.

He stood there at the edge of the water, staring at the cave on the island in the middle of Lake Verity. The one that was supposed to hold a Legendary Pokémon.

He stood there, talking into a small recording device, but the whole time it sounded like he was speaking to the Pokémon of the lake.

Sam could still hear it in his head. " _The flowing time…the expanding space…I will make it mine one day—_ " then the man said something inaudible, perhaps a name, but Sam was sure he heard something Yarrow, " _Remember it. Until then, sleep while you can Legendary Pokémon of the lake bed._ "

Then the man turned quickly on his heel and walked from the water's edge towards Sam.

As he approached Sam he didn't even notice him, except for a small: " _Allow me to pass. Step aside._ "

And with that he was gone, and Sam never thought about it again.

But he dared not tell the others, not yet. They were freaked out enough as it was. Not to mention they were all worried about the Mountain and its curse.

Adding this to their burdens wasn't going to help, so Sam decided he was going to wait until they reached Hearthome to bring it up.

"So, what happened when you met him?" asked Alyssandra; that was the first thing Sam heard as he tuned back in.

Jeremy explained how he was in the park, taking a walk the day after the group had rescued everyone from Team Galactic. While playing with his Pokémon, he saw Professor Yarrow standing in front of the statue of the two Legendary Pokémon of the Sinnoh Region.

"So, this is Eterna's Pokémon statue, he said," stated Jeremy as he imitated the man speaking into the recording device Sam had seen him carry so long ago, "Shaping our world are time and space in an intertwining spiral. Revered in Sinnoh are the Pokémon of time and space. Sinnoh's myth…its truth needs investigating. Then he came down the steps, looked at me and said, 'Pardon me; stand aside.' And before I knew it he was gone."

"Weird," shrugged Niya as the group stood up and began to prepare to get moving again, "He seemed rushed in both instances; now and back when Jeremy met him. How about when he met you Sam, how did he seem?"

Sam looked at Niya, and then to Alyssandra and Jeremy. All of them were watching him with intent, they all wanted to know.

"I don't remember," lied Sam, he seemed to be doing a lot of that lately, but then again, a lot of those had been told to him.

Wasn't he allowed to tell a few himself?

"All right then," said Niya, grazing over the subject, "Let's get moving then, shall we? We don't want to fall behind schedule. Besides this place is starting to give me the creeps. Like, seriously."

"Agreed!" piped in Alyssandra, Jeremy and Sam in unison.

Soon, the group reached another tunnel. It was wide, with relatively high ceilings. It was a shame to leave the large cavern they were just in, but Mt. Coronet was known for its many caverns and they would no doubt come back to one before long.

But not long after they had set out into the tunnel, did they stop once more, as a voice called from behind them.

"Well, well, well," it said conceitedly, "And I thought the curse was the worst thing I'd come across in these caves. I guess I was wrong."

The group wheeled around, and groaned in unison as they saw Richard Lestrange, standing there looking as arrogant as he did when he battled Sam.

"I thought I broke your nose," said Sam, biting back rage.

Alyssandra grabbed his arm, trying to calm him down and hold him back.

"You did," said Richard as she shot Sam a glance, "And it's still somewhat crooked thank you very much. You also stole my Pokémon."

"It wasn't stealing. You agreed to it," argued Jeremy, "You agreed to release your Chimchar, and now it's safe with Sam."

"He has a point," smirked Niya, "Besides you were a terrible Trainer anyway. Your Pokémon abuse aside."

Richard rolled his eyes. "I don't see Chimchar anywhere with you. Were you finally tired of the little runt yourself?" he asked.

Sam bit back rage once more and kept calm.

Alyssandra's tight grip on his arm was helping him.

"He's at my family ranch," said Sam, "Where he's with other Chimchar. So, what are _you_ doing here anyway? You didn't have any more Pokémon the last time I checked."

"I got more," said Richard, "They're the strongest Pokémon you'll ever meet. I have a Staraptor, a Bronzong, a Sneasel, a Floatzel and a Gabite."

"Sounds like quite a big team," said Niya, "One problem. You don't have the skill to take on a Starly, let alone any of those Pokémon. How did you get them?"

"I bought them," said Richard simply, "It's so much easier to buy the best team in the region than to raise one. Every time I need a new Pokémon I just buy them. If they don't do well, I'll release them and buy more. I have the money, and I don't need useless Pokémon weighing me down."

Sam had had it; he wasn't going to take this anymore. He was going to end this himself. "That's it!" he roared, "You and I are going to battle right here, right now. I'm going to show you what properly taking the time to raise and care for your Pokémon is! I'll show you the true power of a Trainer-Pokémon Bond!"

"Go ahead!" Richard called back with a cocky smile, "You'll never even land a scratch! Go Floatzel, use Water Gun!"

"Go Empoleon!" called Sam, "Aqua Jet on Floatzel!"

"Wait!" cried Niya, trying to stop the fighting, "You could cause a—"

But it was too late, the two attacks collided, and bounced off each other.

Empoleon slid off the Water Gun and gouged into the wall and part of the ceiling. While Floatzel's attacks burrowed through a nearby rock.

As soon as the attacks landed, the cave began shaking.

It was a cave in.

Panicking, Richard withdrew his Floatzel and ran off towards the opposite direction. "Well, it was nice seeing you again, bye!"

Richard didn't get far, and everyone scrambled to avoid falling rocks.

Dust covered the entire area, the light from the cavern before was gone, everything was dark, and the fallen debris separated the group.

Sam looked around as he recovered and grabbed a second flashlight from his bag. Scanning the area around him, he noticed he was alone—having called back his Empoleon as the rocks fell.

Niya, Jeremy, Richard and Alyssandra were gone, hopefully not trapped beneath any rocks, but preferably together in some way or another.

Sam tried to call out to them, but there was no response, and the rubble that had fallen from the ceiling was too heavy and large to move or break through. Even with Empoleon's Metal Claw.

The only thing to do was to push forward for now and meet up with the others later.

The wall that had once been on the left side of the tunnel was no longer there. Instead it led to another tunnel similar to the one that had just collapsed on him and his friends.

It was Sam's best bet right now, so he might as well take it.

Sam looked down at his compass as he prepared to go into the darkness. Even with his flashlight it was darker than night.

Sam slammed his fist into the rock wall in frustration. The compass wasn't working. Something was screwing around with it, causing the needle to point in all different directions.

As Sam went for his Pokétch, he noticed that it too wasn't working.

He was too deep in the caves, and since it could not detect the satellite that most Pokétch ran off of, it had shut itself off to conserve battery.

Meaning Sam also had no access to time either.

Sam trudged, with a heavy heart and a mind full of questions and worry, into the darkness, blind and lost, with nothing but his Pokémon on his belt and his flashlight.

"And so, begins the curse," he muttered under his breath, releasing all of his Pokémon, and making his way down the tunnel in the near dark.

Alyssandra groaned as Richard continued to hit on her.

She had been unfortunately stuck with him after the cave in, and they had spent the past hour backtracking and trying to find the right way out of the tunnel.

Unfortunately, all of the ways she went led to a dead end, and Alyssandra was now following the last tunnel left. Which she hoped and prayed, would lead her out of the cave for good, or at least away from Richard.

Every time he tried to grab her hand and hold it, or touch her arm, or even look at her she threatened to smack him. She'd even follow up her threats by hitting his hands with her flashlight, but that wouldn't stop Richard.

Alyssandra's patience was wearing thin, and she was very close to doing what she promised.

"You know, I don't know what you see in him," said Richard with a smirk, after his latest compliment failed, "He's not even that in to you."

"What do you mean?" asked Alyssandra, "I'm not into anyone—least of all you."

Richard chuckled. "I'm talking about Sam," he said turning his chuckle into a laugh, "The way you hold him back, and wrap him around your finger like you do. You like him, I see it."

"I do not!" protested Alyssandra, "He's my friend. We've known each other since we were children, and I'm just looking out for him. Plus, you're totally not worth him hitting—though _I'm_ considering it."

Alyssandra wheeled around as she spoke, and looked at Richard straight in the face, glaring at him hard as her face slowly turned red with embarrassment and anger.

"If you're not going to admit it to me then fine," said Richard, his arms crossed, "You don't need to. It's not necessary. But don't lie to yourself. You like him, great, but if he doesn't like you, then move on. He's clearly not interested in you. If he was he'd return the favour. There's no need to use him like you do if it's not going to get you anywhere. That's just not fair for him."

Alyssandra paused for a moment, thinking over what Richard said. But it didn't take her long before she came back with a retort. "You're just saying this to make me give you a chance. No matter what it's not happening—ever!" cried Alyssandra, "And one more thing! Even if I did like Sam, and I'm not saying I do, that's my business not yours. And _one_ _more_ thing. If I wanted to wait around foolishly for a guy who may or may not like me, then I will, because it's _my_ decision. I can wait, I have time! And _one more thing_! If you _ever_ try to hit on me again, you won't have to worry about Sam hitting you, because _I'm_ going to punch you myself!"

Richard just scoffed and gave another smirk. He wasn't even paying attention to what Alyssandra was saying and this bugged her. She moved closer to him, in order to confront him, but before she knew it Richard had grabbed her from beneath the chin gently and tried to pull her into a kiss.

Before his lips could even get within an inch of hers, there was a loud "whack!" and Richard stumbled back clutching his face.

Alyssandra wasn't done just yet though, and instead, threw a punch, hitting Richard straight in the gut. Doubled over, Alyssandra drove her elbow right into Richard's spine, between his shoulder blades, and within seconds he was on the ground in pain.

His face was red, with Alyssandra's handprint shining like a red beacon. And so, he lay there, out of breath, his arm around his gut, as he gasped for air, and groaned in pain, trying to seek an end to it somehow.

Alyssandra didn't even care if he was truly conscious or not anymore, or if he could comprehend what was going on. He was out of her hair, and she was free of him. She pulled a sandwich from her bag and threw it down beside him.

"There," she said firmly, tossing an extra flashlight beside him as well, "And take that too. You're getting out of here yourself."

Alyssandra bit back laughter as she progressed further down the tunnel.

Richard getting further and further away from her as she did. She could see him reaching out towards her, moaning what might be her name, but it didn't matter.

She was sick and tired of dealing with him, and now Alyssandra wouldn't have to. "Let's go find the others now," smiled Alyssandra, skipping off down the tunnel, flashlight in her hand, ready for whatever came her way.

Sam sighed and looked over at his Empoleon and Luxray. The two were competing in a friendly match over whatever was left of Sam's sandwich. He had given a bit of food to each of his Pokémon, so they wouldn't starve, but what Sam himself couldn't finish was free game. Staravia, Cranidos and Gible were no longer hungry, and were now cheering on either Empoleon or Luxray.

Sam smiled, watching his Pokémon get along. He loved the bond they not only shared with him, but the ones they shared with each other. It was always a good thing when a team worked together well. Their good sense of teamwork helped combination attacks and double battles work even better.

Sam watched as Luxray won the match and the sandwich. He couldn't help but chuckle as he saw Empoleon throw a small fit upon loosing.

Despite this, Empoleon honourably surrendered the sandwich and stepped aside.

Standing up, Sam walked over towards his Pokémon, to congratulate them all on a job well done. As was good for Trainers to do, in order to bond better with their Pokémon.

Sam froze suddenly. He heard a sound in the dark tunnel up ahead. Sam wheeled around and flashed his light around in the darkness but saw nothing.

But Sam didn't trust Mount Coronet, and began walking deeper down the tunnel, his Pokémon behind him, ready to jump out and fight alongside their friend and Trainer at a moment's notice.

"Hello?" called Sam into the darkness, but there was no reply.

Until, all of a sudden, a Piplup burst from the darkness, causing Sam and his Pokémon to jump back.

Following the screaming Piplup was a Lopunny, a Cherrim, an Eevee, a Shinx and a Budew.

Sam smiled as he saw the Pokémon line up. His Pokémon weren't reacting negatively, and the Piplup instantly ran towards Sam's Empoleon like they were old friends. These Pokémon in this combination could only belong to one person.

"Lyss," smiled Sam as he walked towards the darkness.

Alyssandra burst forth from the tunnel and threw her arms around Sam and hugged him.

Sam hugged back and as they pulled back, smiled to have found each other. "You're okay," said Sam with relief, "Glad to hear it. Where are the others, have you seen them?"

Alyssandra shook her head. "No one," he said, "I _was_ stuck with Richard though. For quite a while too—believe me it was no cake walk."

Sam looked past Alyssandra and down the tunnel, as if Richard was going to walk out of it at any moment. "Don't worry," smiled Alyssandra, as she saw Sam's reaction, "He's not coming after me. I ditched him."

"Did he pull something on you?" asked Sam, worry in his voice.

"Yeah, but I just used that move you showed me," winked Alyssandra, "It was effective. Some would say super effective."

Sam laughed, and the two returned to their Pokémon, who were now comfortably getting along with each other. Especially Piplup and Empoleon; they had always been good friends.

"We should get going to find Niya and Jeremy," said Sam as he looked down at Alyssandra, who was playing with her Shinx.

"We should," she agreed, "But who knows how long we'll be looking. I say we rest. Besides, we've probably been in here all day, and it'll be night soon outside by my estimate. With nocturnal Pokémon everywhere, Niya and Jeremy will no doubt take the safer route and rest for a bit. I, personally, would rather not disturb the Zubat and Golbat; at least at night."

Sam nodded. "Yeah, you're right," he said thinking it over in his head, "That's a Niya thing to do, and Jeremy would no doubt think to do the same. So, should we set up tents, or just sleep out here?"

"Tents, please," said Alyssandra politely, "I'd rather not get attacked by Pokémon in my sleep. Besides, a tent feels much safer. We'll continue our search for the others in the morning. We could all use the rest."

Sam nodded. "All right everyone!" he said to his and Alyssandra's Pokémon, "Let's get started setting up the tents!"

"Tent," corrected Alyssandra, "No sense in setting up two, you and I will just share one for the night."

Sam nodded, his face going a little pink, and together, Alyssandra, him and their Pokémon combined had a makeshift camp set up in no time.

The rest of the night went relatively quickly.

Without a campfire, the group ate whatever other food they had left on them, and went right to bed, tired from a long day of excitement and walking.

Tomorrow was another day, and hopefully it would be a bit better, and as Alyssandra lay there hoping that with every fiber of her being.


	40. 38 - The Hiker Brothers

~ Chapter 38 ~

The Hiker Brothers

" _Thank goodness for the kind people of the world. If it wasn't for the Hiker Brothers, we would've been lost in Mt. Coronet forever. Some people are just meant for the wilderness, and these three brothers were more than prepared. They were born out in it, but despite their years of experience that far outnumbered anyone I've ever met since, they were more than willing to help others who weren't as prepared. They found each of us and brought us back together, then led us out of the winding, dark tunnels. They were even so kind as to help escort us all the way to Hearthome City after. The Hiker Brothers were so kind to us, and every time we met them on our travels we were more than happy to share our supplies, sleeping area, food, or water, and even travel with them for a few days. They truly became lifelong friends—we still stop by and visit them at their main cabin in the Survival Area every chance we get."_

Alyssandra and Sam sat on rocks in the middle of the cavern. Having just packed up their tent, they were now looking for something they could eat.

They may have slept for a while—or maybe not, they couldn't tell the time while in the caverns—and while it wasn't exactly comfortable, but it was better than nothing.

Their Pokémon were resting in their Poké Balls by now, wishing to return there shortly before Sam and Alyssandra packed up the tent.

Alyssandra and Sam had a lengthy guessing game about what was so special about the inside of a Poké Ball, to the point where they decided to find out one day.

Sam and Alyssandra had taken to eating anything that could be eaten raw, and there wasn't much. A little under a half of loaf of bread was really all there was.

Jeremy carried the food, as he always did, and whatever Alyssandra and Sam had was only enough to feed them one meal, even if rationed.

The only thing they had in abundance was Pokémon food, and Sam wasn't eating that any time soon.

"We should get going, huh?" asked Alyssandra as she shouldered her bag, biting deep into her sliver of bread.

Sam nodded. "Jeremy and Niya aren't going to find themselves," he said, "Besides, the longer we stay here the longer it'll take to get out."

With that, Sam and Alyssandra gathered their things, and began to leave their makeshift camp.

But it wasn't long before they stopped, frozen in their tracks as they heard a shuffling around in the darkness ahead of them. Their flashlights couldn't shine far enough for them to see what it was.

Alyssandra stood brave, but Sam could see she was worried. Even Sam was afraid of what it might be.

Was it a Pokémon?

Was it the curse?

Was it another adventurer?

Whatever it was, Sam was prepared to take it on, regardless of how he currently felt. He was willing to do whatever it took to protect his friends.

"Who's there?" called Sam, yelling into the darkness.

There was no response, but the shuffling grew louder and closer, as whatever it was came closer and closer to where Sam and Alyssandra stood.

"Answer me!" cried Sam, "I'm not afraid to fight."

Suddenly, a large figure appeared out of the darkness. The dark caves still partially shadowed it, but it seemed to be human, though it was much larger than an average human.

Sam raised his fists but lowered them as he heard a heartened laugh echo from the figure.

It walked forward, and the figure was revealed to be a man.

He was bearded, tall and rather round in the belly. His eyes were kind though, and he wore the gear of a hiker, with a walking stick, hiking boots, a jacket with a thick layer for warmth and several pockets for all sorts of things. He wore brown hiking pants, and on his head, was a fedora-like hat with a feather stuck in it.

On his back was a backpack and bed mat, as most hikers carried.

He was the perfect embodiment of what one would think the typical hiker would look like with a big bushy beard and everything.

"Easy there, no need to get feisty. I'm not going to hurt you," laughed the man, "I'm actually here to help, kind of."

Alyssandra and Sam looked at each other, not sure what to make of this man. "What do you mean?" asked Alyssandra bravely, keeping an eye on the man as he inched closer.

They weren't sure whom to trust anymore, and this place didn't make it any easier to trust random travelers. It was better to be safe than sorry.

"You are Alyssandra and Sam, correct?" asked the hiker.

His voice was deep, yet smooth and soothing, it had friendly warmth about it that made him seem trustable, and he sounded like he was kind enough. He scratched his beard as he waited for a response.

"Why do you ask?" asked Sam, "And how do you know us?"

The hiker laughed and cheered, spinning around like he had struck gold, confusing Sam and Alyssandra.

As he settled down he turned to the two teenagers and smiled at them widely. "I was sent here by your friends, Jeremy and Niya," said the hiker, "My brothers and I found them in the tunnels last night. So, we brought them back to our camp and looked after them, but they wanted us to go look for you. They sent me this morning."

"Who are you, and how did you find my friends?" asked Sam.

The hiker laughed again. "I am Anthony. My brothers Alan and Alexander are hikers like me, and we hike mountains all over the world. That's why we call ourselves the Hiker Brothers. We were coming back to explore the caves of Mt. Coronet again, looking for the Spear Pillar and I was just walking around in the tunnels and found your friend Niya walking around lost," he explained, "She explained what happened and how you got separated. Not too long after, my brother returned with Jeremy, just as I was heading back to camp with Niya. This morning they said they wanted us to find you, since you hadn't made it out of the cave yet, and here you are. I found you."

Sam and Alyssandra looked at each other, the man seemed trustworthy—a little crazy for wanting to find the Spear Pillar—but trustworthy nonetheless. The two lowered their guard and walked towards the hiker.

"How are Niya and Jeremy?" asked Sam as he approached him.

The hiker gave a smile. "They're perfectly fine!" he said happily, "A little shook up, a few scratches, but perfectly fine other than that. They're still at our camp, waiting for you guys."

Alyssandra and Sam felt a weight leave their shoulders as they found out their friends were okay.

Sam was afraid one of them had gone and broken something in the cave-in, which in all fairness _was_ Sam's fault, and that only would've made him feel worse about it.

Shortly after meeting up and introducing themselves to Anthony, Sam and Alyssandra began to follow him towards the exit and their hikers' camp.

"So, you were the one who caused that cave-in yesterday, huh?" chuckled Anthony, "You made a right ruckus. My brothers and I had just entered the cave and we heard what you caused. Boy that was a doozy. Don't you know not to battle in a cave?"

Sam looked away in embarrassment; he wasn't going to be allowed to live this down by Jeremy or Niya either. They would make sure he remembered it forever.

"In all fairness, that guy I was fighting was a jerk," said Sam, "He deserved to be trapped in there too."

Alyssandra's face suddenly lit up as she remembered Richard. "Did you find a kid named Richard in that cave?" she asked, wondering what had become of him after she left him.

"Richard Lestrange?" asked Anthony, as he seemed less than happy at the sound of the name, "Loud and strange little boy. But I guess his name should've told me that. Lestrange, ha-ha, appropriate I must say. Came stumbling out of that cave late last night. His face was red, little bruised actually, like he'd been hit hard, and he was loud and complaining and grumbling I don't know what. He didn't stay long, but I'm okay with that. He decided to go stumbling down the mountain in the dark—I think he may have fallen a few times. He's quite the loud kid."

Anthony chuckled as he thought of Richard falling down the mountain. Alyssandra and Sam couldn't help but laughing either.

Alyssandra also smiled as she heard mention of Richard's face, and she was glad he had his lesson still written on his cheek. Maybe next time he'd remember not to hit on her.

"What exactly did you do to him?" asked Sam in wonder.

Alyssandra smiled. "I told you, I used that move you showed me," she beamed.

Sam couldn't believe it. "I didn't think you were being serious. To be honest I thought you were just joking," exclaimed Sam.

"And why would I joke about that?" asked Alyssandra affronted, "He was bugging me, and you taught me that move, so I used it. Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I can't kick butt and defend myself."

Anthony laughed heartily. "You've got yourself in a hole there my boy," he joked, "It would seem Alyssandra's got a point here."

"I still can't believe you hit him," said Sam with a shrug, "You just seem so…harmless."

Alyssandra shot a look at Sam, and Sam couldn't help but laugh. "Don't get me wrong. It's just not an easy thing to imagine, you're always the one who says don't hit people. Now you go and hit people. Forgive me if I'm a little thrown off."

Alyssandra sighed and rolled her eyes, she gave up on the argument and the two of them followed Anthony silently for the rest of the trip. It wasn't much longer before they reached the exit.

Seconds after exiting the creepy mountain Jeremy and Niya burst from the visible camp, only a few meters from the cave, and threw their arms around Sam and Alyssandra in a massive, slightly unexpected, group hug.

"Thank goodness you're okay," cried Jeremy, "We were beginning to worry about you."

"We're surprised it took you guys this long to get out of there, were you lost?" continued Niya.

Sam and Alyssandra shook their heads and began to explain what happened as they settled down around the cooking fire for breakfast with the hikers.

Apparently, it was just before dawn, and Sam and Alyssandra had been asleep since early evening yesterday.

As Alyssandra explained her ordeal with Richard, Niya couldn't help but laugh, cheer, and congratulate her. While Jeremy looked worriedly at Sam for what that meant for the two of them. Alyssandra was their fierce and caring mother figure who now knew how to hit people and make it hurt—more than before anyway.

"I guess I should've seen that coming," sighed Niya, "Sam would only take the most logical route and rest while thinking of a method of escape rather than moving deeper and deeper into the darkness. But what would you have done afterwards, when you had no choice but to move forward?"

Sam sighed. "I honestly have no answer. Probably crawl around blindly in the darkness."

The conversation was interrupted as the three hiking brothers, Anthony, Alan, and Alexander, began passing out trays with oatmeal, eggs, and bacon.

"You guys aren't going to eat?" asked Jeremy as he saw the three brothers sit down without trays.

Alan shook his head. "We cooked for you guys first, our food will come next," he explained.

Alan looked just like his brother, only younger, and no beard. He was definitely the youngest of the three brothers, and upon close examination, Anthony was definitely the oldest.

"We always feed the guest first," commented Anthony, "And don't go worrying about eating all our food now, we always bring extra! Extra clothes! Extra food! Extra utensils! Extra medicine! Extra everything!"

"How do you carry it all here?" asked Sam as he bit into his eggs, which were actually quite delicious.

"Well, we have cabins all over the world!" laughed Alexander, "We built them ourselves. So, whenever we're in the area we'll stock the place up with everything we need, and bit by bit bring them to our camps on the mountains."

"And then we spend as much time as we can exploring, looking for secret areas, just hiking and having tons and tons of fun," laughed Anthony, "Hiking is our passion! Ever since our granddad, rest his soul, taught us how we've been doing it for fun. And we help out geologists and scientists and Pokémon Researchers once and a while when we discover new things. Right now, we're looking for a way up to the Spear Pillar."

"Why would anyone want to go up to that cursed place?" asked Niya, "And speaking of curse, aren't you afraid of it?"

The brothers looked at each other and then at Niya and broke down laughing. "We've been hiking around these mountains for years, and many times before we've gone looking for the Spear Pillar—mind you we've not found it yet—but nothing that can't be explained has happened to us," explained Anthony.

"I tell you, that curse doesn't exist," continued Alan, "It was just something made up years ago after all these bad things happened, and everyone's too afraid to argue with what they've heard to go against it."

"So, you don't believe the stories?" asked Sam.

Alexander replied next, and as he spoke, Sam noticed that he was dressed exactly like the others, with less of a beard than Anthony, but more than Alan.

He looked to be the middle brother.

"Oh, we believe them all right," he said happily, "People definitely lived on these mountains, and I'm sure they were cast out by the Legendary Pokémon for their fighting. There is a ton of evidence for that. But we don't believe there was a curse. We believe people were so scared by the angered Legendary Pokémon that they fled and made up the curse thing out of fear. We don't know that for sure though, that's why we're trying to find the Spear Pillar."

"We're hoping it'll give us the proof we need to prove this theory," explained Alan, "But we still have to find it first."

Sam looked over at his friends, and they looked back. They had nothing to say to these passionate men. The Hiker Brothers, as they took to calling themselves. They seemed to be educated and passionate, yet so rough and ready to get dirty. It was like a mix between Professor Rowan and a mountain man.

"You guys really seem to know what you're talking about," stated Alyssandra, "Have you studied Pokémonthropology and Archaeology?"

The three of them nodded. "Yup!" Alan exclaimed happily, "Our grandfather forced it on us at first, but we soon came to like it. Now we all have degrees, but we decided to study hands on in the field rather than behind a desk at the university. We'd trade a stuffy library for hands on experience any time. We just like it better out here in the fresh mountain air."

Something about watching the Hiker Brothers' passion for their subject of preference made Sam think of how he felt towards Pokémon Breeding and Training, or Alyssandra and her dreams of being a Top Coordinator, or Niya's passion for teaching people and her dream of doing that for a living, or even Jeremy's passion for being a Pokémon Ranger.

It was inspiring, and it gave Sam a twinge of determination.

"So, where are you kids headed to from here?" asked Anthony as he ladled some oatmeal into a bowl for him and his brothers.

"Hearthome City is our next destination," explained Alyssandra, "We need to get there by tomorrow, so I can register for the Pokémon Contest in two days."

The Hiker Brothers looked at each other, and Anthony gave a smile. "It's a day's walk from here. But if you get going after breakfast, you'll make it there by early evening," said Anthony as he pointed eastward, "But you know what, I do have to head into town to get some more batteries for our walkie-talkies and radios. It would seem this time I forgot to get extra. Why don't I escort you there? I know a shortcut too, so it'll be even faster."

The group beamed as the man offered to help, they couldn't be more thrilled or happy towards what they were hearing.

"We'd love that, thank you so much!" cried the group in unison.

"It's nothing," waved Anthony, "It's the least I can do for you kids. Besides, our mother taught us to never leave a guest in need. We fed you, and now we're going to get you to Hearthome City on time—earlier even! Let me just finish my breakfast and get some stuff together and we'll go, all right? Shouldn't take me more than fifteen minutes at the most."

Anthony began to shovel food into his mouth, disregarding its temperature and then rushed to gather his things for the trip.

The sun had just risen over the horizon by the time the group was ready to go, and shortly after saying goodbye to the remaining Hiker Brothers, they set off towards Hearthome City.

As they marched down towards the valley below all Sam could think about was his next Gym Battle with Fantina—whom he decided to challenge next while he was in Hearthome City, as it would save him the time of coming back later.

While Alyssandra dreamed of winning her next Pokémon Contest.

Niya thought of seeing her mentor and aunt once more.

While Jeremy couldn't help but wait to see Amity Square.

Everyone was excited for something in Hearthome City, but no more so than to be together again.

The curse was gone, and the adventure continued, everything was back to normal once more.


	41. 39 - Hearthome City

~ Chapter 39 ~

Hearthome City, Home Is Where the Heart Is

" _Hearthome City was beautiful. Though almost as big as Jubilife City, it wasn't as crowded, and the buildings weren't as tall. It was all the charms of a big city with the homey feeling of a small town. It was a fusion of what we grew up with and knew two what we loved about Jubilife City. After Anthony left us at the Pokémon Centre, making sure that we were all checked in before leaving, each of us spent the day apart running different errands. Niya spent the day with her Aunt Fantina and her older cousin, Drasna. Alyssandra spent the day with her Pokémon and her sister, who dropped by as a surprise to watch Alyssandra's next tournament. Jeremy spent the day in Amity Square, enjoying his Pokémon's company. And I spent the day with Professor Rowan's grandchildren, Lucas and Dawn."_

The group waited by the phone as they began to call home. It was a simple ritual but when they couldn't do it for long periods of time, they had grown to miss it. The group had been unable to call their family since arriving at the Accardi Sinnoh Ranch.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Professor Rowan picked up on Sam's line and everyone happily greeted one another. "So, how have you been since we last spoke?" asked Professor Rowan, "I understand you were at the Accardi Sinnoh Ranch several days ago, and now you're in Hearthome City. Did you find Mt. Coronet enjoyable?"

Everyone looked at each other, remembering their…interesting travels through the cursed mountain. "It was interesting," said Sam.

"We got separated, again," added Niya bluntly; knowing Sam was trying to hide that from Professor Rowan.

"We wouldn't have if Sam didn't decide to battle Richard inside of a precariously dangerous cave," smirked Jeremy, which only prompted Sam to look away in embarrassment.

Professor Rowan chuckled heartily. "Your grandfather would've done the same thing," he smiled, looking nostalgic, then with another laugh he continued, "Actually he _did_ do that once. In Mt. Moon—caused a cave in too, almost had us killed. All because some kid insulted the way he raised his Charizard."

Sam hung his head once more in embarrassment. It ran in the family, there was no escape. Although, that his grandfather had done the exact same thing for similar reasons made him feel a bit better.

Suddenly, the memories of Mt. Coronet came back to Sam, and he remembered Professor Yarrow. "Oh!" said Sam, suddenly remembering the man, "I have a question, Professor Rowan."

"Yes?" asked the Professor, as if anticipating this—although, often when they spoke with the aged Professor they _did_ often ask questions.

"We met someone in Mt. Coronet," started Sam, "He was a Pokémon Professor, from Sin U. He said his name was Professor Yarrow. Do you know him?"

Professor Rowan's face suddenly lit up as he heard the name, and it shone like he was seeing an old friend for the first time in years. "Professor Silas Yarrow?" asked Professor Rowan, "Oh yes, I've met him before. He's the University's Director of Pokémonthropology and Anthropology. Ah yes, that's just like him, going to Mt. Coronet to do his studies hands-on. Yarrow was always the hands-on kind of man."

A sudden relief passed over Sam as he realized that Professor Yarrow was who he said he was, and that he was actually a Professor at Sinnoh U.

"His theories involve Legendary Pokémon and the ancient peoples of Sinnoh right?" asked Niya, "He told us he was there searching for a way to the Spear Pillar."

Rowan laughed. "Ah yes," he said as if remembering something someone told him long ago, "Those were his theories. The man never stopped working on his studies, always talked about them. He wasn't as mad as Alexios, but he was definitely obsessed. He was a riot though, very well loved amongst the scientific community. You've made a good friend in him. Why do you ask all of these questions though?"

It was Alyssandra who spoke next. She had been silent most of the time, nervously biting her lip, hoping this would be done soon so she could go sign up for her Pokémon Contest and study as soon as possible.

"We just wanted to make sure he wasn't lying," she explained, "We've been lied to by people before, and we worried about why he was there…you know how Mt. Coronet is supposed to be cursed. We were on edge a bit, I guess."

Rowan laughed. "Ah yes, Nancy told me how Aurelio always used to scare you with those stories, didn't he?" he said shaking his head, "I guess it's affected you negatively."

"But worry not, children," continued Rowan assuredly, hoping to calm his young charges down, "He is exactly who he says he is. In fact, if you get a chance, he lives in Celestic Town supposedly, though he's rarely ever home so that's hard to confirm. Stop buy and visit him. I'm sure he'd love to see you again. And tell him hello for me, will you? Mind you! The man is a workaholic, so if he's not there, don't be surprised."

Everyone in the group was relieved, and Sam suddenly felt guilty about hiding his meeting with Professor Yarrow before. He decided he would tell his friends tonight over dinner. No more secrets, they were his friends, they would've understood even back when they were in the cave.

Sam was letting the Markus Alexios thing get to his head, and he was starting to be wary of even his friends—and that hurt Sam more than anything.

"Now, do you wish to speak with your families?" asked Professor Rowan, to which everyone nodded, "Jeremy, your mother is out with Sakura right now. She brought her to the park—your mother _loves_ playing with her. Apparently, Sakura's the daughter your mother never had."

Rowan laughed again, and even Jeremy gave a happy smile. Jeremy was proud that his mother was happy.

Josh moved out shortly after the group arrived at the Accardi Ranch, so his mother and father had told him. He got a job offer with a big company in Jubilife City, so he moved there to take it.

His father worked during the week, but he spent lots of time with his wife on weekends, and they'd go out—which Jeremy was at least glad for.

Spending time with Rowan and Nancy and occasionally Palmer, also gave her something to do during the week.

With Jeremy on his travels and Josh gone now, Jeremy was worrying that she'd be a little lost, but Sakura was helping her with that, and for that Jeremy was thankful.

"All right," smiled Jeremy, as brightly as Sam had ever seen, "I'll call her tonight then. Is Sam's grandmother there?"

Rowan nodded and disappeared off screen as he called for Nancy.

Sam smiled at Jeremy. He was in a good mood, and it was putting the rest of the group in a good mood. "

Sam, look at you, you look so big!" cried Nancy as she appeared on screen, then she looked at each of the others with a wide grin, "Alyssandra, Niya, you two look so mature. You're beautiful, both of you!"

Alyssandra and Niya blushed happily.

"And Jeremy, you're so handsome. You're growing into quite the young man. You all look so grown up."

Then, as she turned back to Sam once again she gave a small frown which turned quickly into a smile. "You haven't shaved in a while," she noted, pointing to Sam's cheeks, chin, upper lip, and jaws, "You've got small little stubble everywhere."

Sam felt his face and noticed rough little hairs start to cover his face. He couldn't grow facial hair fast, so he hadn't shaved since he left Eterna City, and finally the hairs were starting to grow back.

"I've been travelling a lot, grandmother," smiled Sam, "I haven't had time to shave, but I'll shave tonight, all right?"

Nancy laughed. "Oh, it doesn't bug me!" she smiled, "It makes you look more grown up."

"I agree, Mrs. Giovinazzo," winked Alyssandra, "It makes him look mature, and dare I say handsome."

Jeremy gave a snort and Sam shot him a look, which only caused him to walk off screen and burst into laughter.

Niya kept her mouth shut, but a smile creeped across her lips when Sam turned his back.

"Your grandfather used to have a big, thick beard remember?" smiled Nancy whimsically, her eyes looking towards the sky as if going into a flashback, "At first I couldn't take it, it was so scratchy. When we met he had such a smooth face, but hair longer than mine was. Eventually he grew a beard to match the hair, and as time went on his hair got shorter and shorter. But he kept the beard. For a while it was the only neatly trimmed thing about him."

Sam remembered, and smiled as he remembered when he was a child and wondering if his grandfather's beard was real or not, tugged on it causing his grandfather to cry out.

Instead of getting mad, he laughed, and Sam laughed too.

"As nice as a beard would be, I'll probably shave it," sighed Sam, "It'd take too long to grow, at least right now."

"Very well, but enough about beards. How have your travels been?" asked Nancy.

Once more, the group regaled their journeys to Sam's grandmother, once again bringing forth Aurelio's Mt. Moon cave-in story. As well as a stern lecture about why battling in caves is a bad thing, and how Sam should've thought ahead before pulling out his Pokémon in the first place.

But once the story was finished, Nancy couldn't be happier for them.

"I'm glad everything worked out at least," she said, "And you met some nice new friends. If they're ever by Twinleaf Town they're welcomed to stop by for a visit and some food. Anyone who saved my grandson and my adoptive grandchildren is a friend of mine."

Sam smiled and shook his head. His grandmother was always inviting and welcoming, and a very friendly and kind woman. She'd been calling Sam's friends "adoptive grandchildren" for years, and any close friends of theirs were always good by her.

"I will grandmother," smiled Sam softly, "It's been great talking to you, but we got to get going, all right?"

Nancy nodded. "Of course! You all have busy, Pokémon Journey related things to do, don't let me stop you," she exclaimed, "Call me before you leave the city all right? Because I'll be leaving in a few days for a small vacation."

"Vacation?" asked Sam curiously.

His grandmother never went anywhere far, at least not since his grandfather had died.

"I'm going back to your grandfather's hometown, in Slateport City," explained Nancy solemnly, "A cousin of his passed away, and Professor Rowan and I have been invited to the funeral. Palmer is going with us to make sure we're okay, he offered, and we just couldn't say no."

Sam bit his lip. Something didn't seem right. He thought all of his grandfather's relatives were dead. If so, why was his grandmother going to the Hoenn Region on a lie? And if not, why had she lied to him before.

Sam thought he'd bring it up.

"But aren't all of grandfather's relatives passed on already?"

Nancy shook her head. "His siblings had died," she explained, "But he still had a cousin or two alive. They were very kind to us; even helped us plan our wedding. We've kept in touch all these years through letters, so when he passed on, his wife invited me to the funeral. Rowan and Palmer are my guests—they knew him too."

Sam sighed. His grandmother hadn't travelled in years, and close family relation or not Sam couldn't help but worry for her health. "Be careful, all right?" said Sam, "Don't do anything too hard or strenuous."

Nancy laughed. "I'm going to a funeral, it shouldn't be too strenuous on me. It's not like I'm being asked to carry the casket."

Sam couldn't help but laugh. His grandmother always had a way of getting him to stop worrying.

"Now go do what you need to do!" she cried, "Stop stalling or you'll never get them done!"

Sam and his friends nodded. "Nice speaking to you again!" the group cried in unison.

Nancy returned the compliment and the screen went black as she hung up.

Sam sighed smiled. "I worry too much, huh?" he asked no one in particular.

Niya responded. "Yeah, you do," she said plainly, "But for good reason. Your grandmother is like your mother, and for all intents and purposes she may as well be. She spent her life taking care of you, and now you're returning the favour. It's very sweet, though not always necessary. I'm sure she knows this though."

Alyssandra and Jeremy agreed with Niya, and Sam felt a bit better. He didn't want to be like those kids who saw their parents grow old and all of a sudden become overbearing and doting. Hounding their every move in case they lifted a cup of tea in a strenuous way.

"I just don't want anything to happen to her yet," said Sam softly, "I don't want to lose her too. She was sick before, when we were in Eterna City and it scared me. She's seventy-seven, you know, and things happen. She's always been there for me, and I want her to be there with me as I become Champion and win my badges. I'm not ready to let go."

Niya patted Sam on the shoulder. "We rarely are," she said, "But we all have our time. Luckily for you, your grandmother is very healthy. I'm sure she'll be fine, you have years left."

Sam nodded and smiled at Niya. She really did help him feel better and more reassured.

"Now let's get going!" cried Alyssandra, "We all have our errands to run!"

The rest of the group nodded and agreed to split up for the day and meet up again at the Pokémon Centre for dinner.

Sam and Niya were going to head to see Niya's aunt, and hopefully Sam could book a Pokémon Battle with her for his next badge.

Jeremy wanted to see Amity Square and was going to take some time to spend with his Pokémon, which everyone thought was an excellent idea.

And Alyssandra was going to go register for her Pokémon Contest and spend as much time as she could be practicing for the contest the following day.

Everyone knew how much pressure was starting to be put on Alyssandra, as she was practically halfway to the Sinnoh Grand Festival. Three more ribbons and she'd be in. There were only three more contests in this year before the Grand Festival arrived, and a single mistake at any of them could mean Alyssandra putting off her dreams of competing in the Grand Festival for another year.

The competitions were heating up and getting more competitive. They were only going to get harder from here on in.

With goals in their minds, the group dashed off towards their respective destinations, ready for whatever was to come to them. And even though they would be apart for the day, they would always support each other through everything, in spirit or otherwise.

Alyssandra walked towards the Hearthome City Contest Hall in a brisk manner. It was only a quarter to two. The group had just gotten here a half hour ago, but right after checking in and calling home they dashed towards their respective goals, not even bothering to eat.

Alyssandra was ready to go sign up for her Pokémon Contest, and wanted to do so as soon as possible, and then get in as much practice as possible.

She had slacked off on the practice this time.

Alyssandra hadn't had a chance to practice her appeals, because between the Cycling Road misadventures, spending time at the Accardi Pokémon Ranch, and their troubled trip through Mt. Coronet, she had no time for herself to work on her combinations.

Alyssandra had only had a few days between Cycling Road and the Accardi Sinnoh Ranch to practice her combinations, and that wasn't even close to enough time.

Alyssandra would need to pull an all-nighter tonight if she wanted to be ready.

Lucky for her, the Contest Hall was only a ten-minute dash from the Pokémon Centre, which really cut down on travel time for her. It was the waiting in line that made her anxious. Every minute she stood in line was one less minute spent practicing, and one less minute being registered before time was up.

Finally, after a twenty-minute wait she was at the front desk with madness in her eyes. Alyssandra signed up for her contest as fast as possible and it was another few minutes before her entry was official and her paperwork filed, but as soon as it was she made a mad dash towards the park across the street.

It was here she planned to practice for the rest of the day, and she was just about to as well when she heard a voice behind her that caused her to jump.

It said to her, soft and kind: "Long time no see, eh kiddo?"

Jeremy lay on the grass with his Pokémon beside him.

His Staravia was nestled up with his head under his wing, sleeping soundly.

Luxray laid her head against Jeremy's side, her tail curled around herself.

Torterra laid beside Jeremy and his other Pokémon, his massive form and large tree providing shade for them. He was too big to snuggle up against another Pokémon, but his massive body no less welcome.

Pikachu lay curled up; napping quietly on Jeremy's chest while the boy stared up at the clouds.

He had come here directly after leaving the Pokémon Centre, as was his goal. Jeremy had spent the past few hours and a bit with his Pokémon and playing catch and taking in all the sights. Especially the ancient village that remained from the first settlements of Hearthome City almost a thousand years ago.

Stalwart protectors of their ancient histories; stone-carved bastions of history.

Now, after a long day and a good meal—Jeremy packed a lunch for everyone—Jeremy and his Pokémon decided it was time for a nap.

A lot had happened that day that had earned a good rest for everyone. But Jeremy was the proudest of Pikachu.

Today the Pokémon decided on whether or not it wanted to stay in his Poké Ball.

Before Pikachu had gone back and forth between in and out, young, and fickle as he was, but today when Jeremy tried to make it return, Pikachu refused. In fact, Pikachu refused so vehemently that he had run off to the hills above the park where a majority of the buildings were.

Jeremy chased the Pokémon, with Staravia and Luxray at his side—as Torterra was too large to move quickly or into small spaces—and even had to maneuver through some tight and often dangerous spots.

Finally, after twenty minutes of chasing Pikachu through the foothills above Amity Park, Jeremy arrived at what seemed like a massive stone temple. He didn't notice much about the inside, though what he remembered was a pearl, diamond and some other unidentified crystal displayed around an unidentified metal-forged figurine.

There were three little crystals surrounding the larger ones, but before Jeremy could get more in depth about what that meant, he saw Pikachu standing in a corner.

The Poké Ball it had stolen was gone—Jeremy assumed it was now in the small crack in the floor where Pikachu was standing. As Jeremy stood over the crack in the ground, he sighed, knowing he'd never get that Poké Ball out now.

"Well, I guess you're stuck outside of your Poké Ball now, huh?" asked Jeremy, hands on his hips, "Are you proud of what you did?"

But Pikachu only stared at him cutely, and with a happy smile. "Pika!"

Jeremy sighed again and couldn't help but laugh.

From there he returned to his Torterra, now resting by a small pond.

Pikachu on his shoulder, Staravia above him and Luxray at his heel. And that was exactly how Jeremy ended up where he was now.

He enjoyed bonding with his Pokémon today. Especially during the games, they placed in the central gardens.

Torterra rolled over by accident and ended up crushing some flowers.

After turning him back over amidst the stares of onlookers, Luxray ended up getting into a fight with some Combee, which only brought Staravia into the fray—as Staravia strongly disliked Bug Pokémon—and that was a whole other fight Jeremy had to break up.

This was just before Pikachu ran off with his own Poké Ball.

Now, as Jeremy lay there after an afternoon of fun, he couldn't help but let his mind go towards his future as a Pokémon Ranger.

That's truly what he wanted to do, but he hadn't had the time to actually sit down and think, step-by-step about how he was going to get there. He had dreamt about it plenty of times before, and he had a vague idea about how this was going to go down, but he had never really taken the time to plan it out.

Now as Jeremy took the time and did what he should've done a long time ago, he realized how unprepared he was. He wasn't prepared to take the test. He didn't even know where or when the test was.

Jeremy wasn't prepared for the hours of physical training it would require to become a Pokémon Ranger. They needed to be exceptionally fit, so they could go through rescue situations easily. The stamina required to become one was almost ridiculous.

Jeremy wasn't unfit or anything, in fact he was scrawny with enough muscle to accomplish what he needed, and he had an okay amount of stamina, but it definitely wasn't Pokémon Ranger stamina.

Even Sam, an annual worker at a Pokémon Ranch didn't have a Pokémon Ranger's stamina.

But most of all, Jeremy wasn't prepared to leave his friends. He knew he would have to, but Jeremy never really thought deeply into it.

Jeremy didn't realize that it meant he may never see them again, or if he did, it would be briefly.

Until the day he retired or moved up high enough that he could choose which missions to take, he would be restricted to go where he was instructed. If Sam and the others were there, that'd be great but there was no guarantee that would happen.

And even on his down time and off time, Jeremy would probably stop by home as often as he could to check on his family—tracking down Sam, Niya and Alyssandra would probably take up most of that time anyway, as sad as it was.

Jeremy sighed and closed his eyes, letting the feelings of parting wash over him. He needed to prepare himself and numb himself to it.

"I need to," whispered Jeremy to himself, "I'll have my Pokémon, and I can call my friends and family. These are my dreams and to be a Pokémon Ranger is my goal. I'm not giving up on that goal…I'll take the good with the bad, but no matter what it means I must sacrifice…I'm going to be a Pokémon Ranger."

Sam stared at the Hearthome City Gym, Niya at his side.

Sam was here to book his next Gym Battle with Niya's Aunt Fantina. After a deep breath, Sam walked through the sliding glass doors and looked around at the gym.

It was gloomy, and dark, and the only light was the single light hanging from the high ceiling. It looked almost like a haunted house, with a thick layer of mist hanging over the floor of the gym, and small boulders and patches of grass growing here and there over the battlefield.

Upon close inspection, however, Sam came to learn the small boulders were in fact, tombstones. It gave Sam a small chill to think about.

"It looks just like it did when I trained here as a kid," smiled Niya, with the look on her face that of a man returning home after many years of being away.

Sam didn't have a chance to respond as suddenly all of the lights shot on, then shut back off again.

Jumping up, Sam almost missed a single light coming back on and an explosion of mist as a tall woman with styled purple hair, thin features, pale skin, purple eyes, and lipstick in a large, pink ball gown erupted from the oncoming fog.

Sam thought she was a ghost at first but noticed Niya smiling as she recognized the woman.

Niya rushed forward and gave the woman a hug, which the woman returned heartily.

"Niya, my darling," she spoke proudly, as if Niya was a long-lost child finally reunited with her mother.

The woman spoke with a slight accent. It wasn't too thick that she was inaudible, but it was heavy enough to be recognizable. She sounded a lot like the vampires Sam used to see in those old black and white movies he'd watch as a kid.

Her voice was also a little deeper than Sam expected for a Top Coordinator, but the world was full of surprises, much like this gym.

This was Niya's aunt, Fantina Konstantinova.

"I'm great Aunt Fantina!" cried Niya happily, "I haven't been to any Contests lately, but I've been passing on all of your teachings on how to be a Trainer and a Coordinator to my friends."

Fantina gave Niya a proud look, a look Palmer and Sam's grandfather had often given Sam while he was growing up and had figured out something in a Pokémon Battle or that they were trying to teach him faster than expected.

When the student became the teacher and repaid the teacher's hopes for their students and replaced those hopes with pride.

"I have heard," said Fantina, pulling away from the hug.

She looked over at Sam. "You are the prodigal Accardi I have heard so much about," stated Fantina loudly, circling Sam like a majestic purple peacock. She strutted and glided; she did not walk.

The whole time she sized Sam up like he was an opposing rival looking to push in on her territory.

"You have strength in you, and I have heard stories of your skill from many. From other Gym Leaders, and Palmer, and even the Champion herself, yes…" said Fantina finally, breaking the awkward silence, she had created, "My niece's teachings are not vasted on you…but you are not strong enough to face me yet!"

Sam felt affronted by that statement. "Says who?" said Sam, slightly insulted, "I can rip through your Pokémon like no tomorrow. You just watch me, I'll have you beat in five minutes."

"Your cockiness is all I need to see," sniffed Fantina, turning away from Sam snobbishly, her dressing swishing as she did, "Your victories have made you think you are bigger than you truly are. You over estimate your strength. You are not ready yet to face me."

Sam continued to feel insulted, but even still he dared not make a bigger outburst than what he had already made. Insulted as he was, he wasn't impulsive in front of those he respected, and as much as she angered him, Sam respected Fantina.

Niya gave Sam a look, as if to reassure him that she agreed with her aunt, and when Niya gave that look, Sam knew it was true.

"What must I do before I'm ready to fight you?" said Sam, again breaking the silence.

Fantina remained turned away, but replied to Sam. "You have learned to hold your tongue," she smirked, "But you are still not yet tame."

Sam remained quiet still, waiting for the answer he so desired. "You must know defeat," she said simply, "Vhen you have been defeated by Maylene of Veilstone City or Crasher Vake of Pastoria City and can return to them and beat them aftervards. Only vhen you have learned vhat defeat feels like, you may stand before me again and issue me a challenge. Surely my niece has taught you the importance of defeat?"

Niya looked away embarrassed; she hadn't taught Sam that. Or Alyssandra. And for this she earned a stern look from her aunt.

"That vas vun of the first lessons I taught you," she scolded, "And I taught it to you harshly. Pokémon Battles and Contests are not all about vinning. They are about knowing vunself! You cannot truly know yourself until you lose. You should have taught them sooner. Vhy have you not done this yet?"

Niya looked away from her aunt and avoided eye contact at all costs. Mumbling to the floor she responded. "I was hoping to get to that part of the lesson when it happened."

Fantina sighed and turned back to Sam, finally facing him. "I see you too still must learn," she said finally to Niya.

Looking hard at Sam, she gave a smile. "Do not think I dislike you, my dear," she said, bending down to look at Sam in the eyes. Her heels made her tower high over Sam. She was a tall woman to begin with, but the heels only accented her height. She placed her gloved fingers under Sam's chin and gave him the warmest of smiles, "I am rooting for you, and I am vun of the many who truly believe in you. I believe in you as I believe my niece. But you are not perfect, so I shall make you perfect!"

Sam couldn't help but smile. "Thank you. I do appreciate the time you're taking to help teach me right," responded Sam sincerely. Fantina nodded and Sam continued. "What am I supposed to do all day then?" he wondered to no one in particular.

He knew Niya was going to stay behind and catch up with her aunt, but Sam no longer had anything to do.

He wasn't going to disrupt Jeremy's Pokémon bonding time, and he wasn't going to get involved with Lyss's stress cramming—not unless he wanted to be yelled at or attacked occasionally.

"You can spend the afternoon thinking of vays to voo your voman into loving you," said Fantina stiffly.

Sam was taken aback again, but when he realized what she meant, he blushed. "I guess you know too, huh?" asked Sam.

Fantina laughed. "My dear, half of the Pokémon League knows, I am sure. Maybe even half of the Sinnoh Region. It is not a secret, and even if it vere, you are very obvious—though extremely shy. You are not unlike your uncle in endeavors of the heart."

If Sam had been drinking anything at that moment he would've spit it all up again. "I what?!" he asked in shock.

Fantina smiled. "Your uncle never told you?" she asked, bewildered that Sam had never heard of their apparent love for one another, "It vas many years ago. Vee vere both still children. You see, vhen I vas a girl, sixteen or so, I came here to compete as a Pokémon Coordinator. It's how I made money, vhich I sent back to my family. It's also how your father and mother were able to afford to come here too, Niya."

As Fantina spoke of the past, her glory days as a Coordinator, she spoke with a nostalgic gleam in her eye. "Vhen I first met Lou, he vas a handsome young student at Sinnoh University. He vas only eighteen then, but he vas definitely a mature man. Vhen our eyes locked, I vas coming out of the contest hall, and he vas valking home to his apartment; it was like magic."

"So, what happened?" asked Sam intently, and even Niya wanted to know how she and Sam almost became related.

"Vell, vee dated for many years, though it took your uncle several months to be able to ask me out, but he eventually did, and I said yes," continued Fantina, "Vee vere twenty-four and twenty-six, and he proposed to me, suddenly. He said he meant to do it earlier—that Luciano vas alvays very shy. Vell, anyvay, I said yes. But a few months before our vedding vee called it off."

"Why?" asked Niya, "Didn't you two love each other?"

"Oh yes," smiled Fantina in a warm and kind way, she seemed like she still was in love with him, "But vee came to realize, vee vere so young, and vee vondered, vhat vere vee doing? Vee decided to go our separate ways, for our careers and before we did anything foolish…I vent on to become a Top Coordinator and a Gym Leader, and he became a part owner and operator of the Accardi Pokémon Ranch here in Sinnoh. But…this story does have a happy ending."

Sam, enthralled in the story, leaned in closer to hear more like a child wanting to eavesdrop on a forbidden conversation between adults.

"After vee parted ways, vee didn't speak for years. I met and married another man, and together vee had one child, my daughter Drasna," explained Fantina, by now everyone was sitting on a nearby bench listening to Fantina's story, "But vhen my husband and I divorced a few years ago, I felt lonely. Drasna was out on her Pokémon Journey, and I vas here alone. I had my contests, but fame and appeals are nothing compared to good company. So, I called up your uncle, and he agreed to meet me at one of my contests here in the same contest hall vee met outside of. All of these years later, he was still unmarried. The poor man, he vould have made a wonderful husband and that lucky girl vould've been very happy vith him. He's still very handsome as well. Anyvay, vhen he and I met up again, it vas like nothing changed. Eventually, vee started to go out again, and even though our jobs sometimes keep us apart, vee still get together vhenever vee can."

"So that's where he disappeared off too," said Sam suddenly as he thought back to his summers on the ranch in recent years when his uncle would mysteriously disappear for a weekend every once and a while.

"So, you're dating Sam's uncle now, Aunt Fantina?" wondered Niya innocently. Fantina nodded with a wide smile, and Niya congratulated her.

Sam soon followed, needing some time to adjust to the news. "Well," said Sam suddenly, standing up as he realized he was now cutting into Niya's bonding time with her aunt and currently absent cousin, "I must get going—though I do appreciate the story. It's been very…insightful. I do wish you and my uncle much happiness though, I'm glad he's finally met someone to make him happy."

Fantina nodded and said nothing as Sam walked out the door.

Niya called goodbye after him, and Sam responded quickly.

Getting out of there so fast was a twofold reason for Sam, the first so he would allow Niya time with her aunt, while the second was that Sam was just so weirded out by this sudden news.

He was proud of his uncle, and happy for him and Fantina too, but the thought of being related to Niya through marriage made him laugh and wonder at the same time.

It was a sudden bomb to have been dropped on him, and he needed some time to adjust to it.

"So where am I off to then?" Sam asked himself suddenly, trying to focus on his task at hand. And truly, there were a multitude of options.

He could go to a restaurant. He was pretty hungry right now, but not enough so that it couldn't wait he supposed.

He could go see Jeremy at Amity Park, but at the same time, Sam didn't want to interrupt Jeremy's time bonding with his Pokémon. A Trainer-Pokémon Bond was a special thing, and to interrupt it would be beyond rude.

"Well I guess I'm just going to have to—" started Sam, but he froze as someone tapped him on the shoulder. Turning around to see whom it was, Sam was surprised to see a young girl and a young boy, both about Jeremy's age, staring intently at him.

The girl had shoulder length black hair, with two gold facets tied into her hair, pulled back two strands behind her head where they met in the middle as a pony tail that hung over her long hair.

On her head was a white woolen hat with a pink Poké Ball design on it. She wore a white, sleeveless t-shirt under a black, sleeveless dress that had pink diamonds and slight ruffles around the hem—which itself went down to the middle of her thigh.

She had knee-high black socks and suede boots. Around her neck was a rather long, red scarf and on her right wrist she wore a pink Pokétch, while over her left forearm was slung a cylindrical bag.

The girl introduced herself, kindly and bubbly, as Dawn while the boy introduced himself as Lucas.

Lucas wore blue jeans, red sneakers, a white t-shirt, and a sleeveless black vest. On his short, messy hair he wore a red flat cap with a white and black Poké Ball. On his right wrist was a blue bracelet and, on his left, was a blue Pokétch.

His bag was worn tightly on the back, as a backpack with his arm slung through both straps.

Sam raised an eyebrow after hearing their introducing, and decided to be friendly and introduce himself, though this didn't stop him from asking who these people were.

"While I do enjoy meeting new people, and you guys seem extremely nice," started Sam, "I have no idea who you are. Though you seem to know who I am."

"We do!" exclaimed Dawn, "You're Sam Accardi! We've heard so much about you and your friends and your travels!"

Sam smiled a bit, flattered that he had become well known even out here, but then the two explained how they knew him, deflating Sam's ego a bit.

"We should probably explain ourselves, right Dawn?" stated Lucas, more trying to make a point then ask a question, to which Dawn rolled her eyes, "Dawn and I are actually Dawn and Lucas Oak. We're Professor Rowan's grandchildren."

"Grandchildren?" asked Sam, "I thought his only grandchild was Sakura?"

"Aw, little Sakura. You've met her?" fawned Dawn, "She's a cutie. I haven't seen her in so long…we should call Grandpa and speak with both of them. It's great that he's finally spending some time with her like he used to with us."

Lucas sighed. "Forgive my sister, she likes to go off on tangents."

Sam chuckled. "It's no problem, I know the type" he waved, "So you're his grandkids huh? Well, it's nice to meet you."

"Same to you!" said Lucas happily.

"So why did you guys decide to come find me here?" wondered Sam.

"Well, we just started our Pokémon Journey recently, and we were interested in seeing what you guys are capable of," explained Dawn, "I want to be a Pokémon Coordinator once the next round of tournaments starts. And Lucas is challenging the Pokémon League and just beat Roark a few weeks ago. Sam, you've already earned two badges and you're on your way to your third, but you've already got a lot of buzz going on for you in the League, and Alyssandra has won two of five ribbons, with a third coming tomorrow no doubt. And Niya, well, she and her aunt are legends in the Coordinator circles."

"Our Grandpa told us to come see you," continued Lucas, trying to clarify his sister's words, "He said it would do us good, and we'd learn a lot."

Sam smiled. "Well, we're not all here right now," he said speaking of his friends, "As you can see, we're all off doing things today, but you're welcome to spend time with me and I can tell you what I know until we all meet up again. At that point, you can talk to Jeremy, Niya and Alyssandra about their knowledge and experiences."

Lucas and Dawn nodded enthusiastically.

"Well, first thing to know about being a Trainer is—I'm assuming you've all chosen your Starters correct? I mean, I'm sure Lucas has, having beat Roark, but have you Dawn?" asked Sam, a little overexcited and also realizing he may be getting ahead of himself.

Lucas and Dawn nodded. "Grandpa sent us over the two Pokémon of our choice," explained Dawn, "I chose a Chimchar, and Lucas chose a Piplup."

Sam smiled. "Piplup eh?" he smiled, remembering when he first got his Empoleon, a little over two months ago, when he was still a Piplup, "Well, let's go over to that park and we'll keep talking."

When the threesome reached the park, they sat around a picnic table and kept talking.

"So, the first thing you need to understand about being a Pokémon Trainer is that you need to keep a close bond with your Pokémon," started Sam, "You need to use your Pokémon equally in all battles, and make sure you reward them for victories and console them on losses. Pokémon may not be humans, but they're just as smart, if not smarter. They feel and think a lot like we do, so it's always important to understand them."

Dawn and Lucas nodded, and both pulled out notepads, starting to write down all that Sam was saying.

"Do you guys have a travelling group or is it just you two?" wondered Sam, realizing he hadn't even asked them that yet.

"We have a friend, Barry," explained Lucas, "He lived in Twinleaf Town until a month or two ago when he moved to Veilstone City, so we're heading over there now to pick him up before we head back towards Eterna City, so Lucas can have his rematch with Gardenia."

Sam nodded. "Good. Friends are important when you travel, and the more the merrier," said Sam happily, thinking of his friends, "I can't tell you how many times I've been glad that my friends are there to support me and such."

Dawn and Lucas scribbled hard on their notepads, which only made Sam laugh.

"What I'm teaching you isn't that hard," he said with a chuckle, "It's simple. Just have good friends, be good to your Pokémon and trust them and you'll be fine. Oh! And keep a level head, it's important for a Trainer to keep a level head. Whether you're a Coordinator, Ranger, Breeder, or fighting in the Pokémon League. If you freak out, your Pokémon will know it and freak out too, and then you'll have a problem."

"I never knew that such small things effected your Pokémon and their performance," said Lucas curiously.

"Pokémon are very intelligent," explained Sam, "And they become very in tune with their Trainers. Eventually, it's like you guys are thinking with one mind."

Sam's thoughts went right to his Empoleon…the bond he shared with him reminded Sam of another bond he shared. Sam smiled, wondering how his friend was doing.

"That's really all I can give you," said Sam with a chuckle, "I haven't been traveling long enough to be able to give you the full crash course. That's pretty much the basics, the important stuff. Asking the others for their experiences and advice would be best; you can build on what I gave you. Moreover, Niya and Lyss can give a lot of Coordinator-related advice to you, Dawn, and as well as some Pokémon training tips."

"What about raising your Pokémon?" asked Dawn, "You have some pretty good skills as a Breeder. What do you recommend for raising your Pokémon?"

Sam smiled. "Well, it's nothing really," he said, "There's no special formula, or one specific method to raise a Pokémon. All Pokémon are different, and they all learn differently with different strengths and weaknesses and likes and dislikes, just like humans. You raise your Pokémon according to their skills, and their areas that need improvement. Also remember different Pokémon take different amounts of time to evolve and raise. Some will be easier, others harder, that all depends on their temperament, and their personality. But that you'll all learn in time—oh! One more thing! Wild Pokémon are a bit harder to train and raise that captive Pokémon."

Lucas and Dawn nodded.

"Thank you so much for the advice you gave us," beamed Dawn, "I can't wait to ask the others what they know!"

"Me either! Do you know when they'll be back?" wondered Lucas.

Sam paused to check his Pokétch. "Well, we're not meeting up till much later; later this evening. Alyssandra's probably already registered by now, the line to register was no doubt massive and she's practicing as we speak no doubt. And Jeremy's probably just started enjoying Amity Square. And I _just_ left Niya with her aunt a few minutes ago. It's only one-ish, but I haven't had lunch yet. I'll tell you what, are you guys hungry?"

Dawn and Lucas nodded fervently, excited at the prospect of lunch. "Very well, then we'll go get lunch somewhere, my treat," said Sam happy to entertain his newfound friends.

Sam smiled, as he remembered how he and his friends were at Dawn and Lucas' age. It may have only been two years ago—a year in Jeremy's case, and three for Niya—but much had changed since then.

The gleam in their eyes, the one that came from starting a new adventure. Sam knew it well, it brought back good, happy memories of a few months ago when he, Lyss and Jeremy took their first steps together onto Route 202.

Alyssandra had forced them into it, but Sam was glad she did. It really bonded them together, even closer than they were before.

Sam wouldn't redo it differently at all.

"Long time no see, eh kiddo?" said a calm but familiar voice.

The words came out of nowhere, from behind Alyssandra, and its sudden arrival made her jump. Wheeling around, half ready to defend herself, Alyssandra was stunned and suddenly comfortable as she saw whom the voice belonged to.

"Valentina?" asked Alyssandra in bewilderment.

Alyssandra couldn't believe it, but as her sister stepped forward and hugged her, she knew Valentina was really there. Her red hair dyed blonde except for the tips of her side bangs that nearly covered her eyes entirely.

"What are you doing here?" wondered Alyssandra, completely surprised by her sister's sudden appearance, "You're usually off somewhere on Champion business, or at the Pokémon League fighting people who challenge you."

Valentina laughed. "I wasn't waiting forever for Sam to finally show up and fight me just to see you," she said with a wink, "And I felt bad that I didn't get a chance to see you myself at the Floaroma Contest. I had to leave early. How did you do by the way, did you win?"

Alyssandra nodded, even more confused than before. Since when was Valentina at the Floaroma Contest, and why hadn't any of her friends told her this? And why would Valentina not think to mention it to her until now.

"Slow down a second," started Alyssandra, trying to grasp the situation totally, "What do you mean Floaroma Contest?"

Valentina gave a small smile. "Ah, that's right, I should explain first," he said, "Come on, let's go sit down on a bench somewhere and talk this out."

The two sisters crossed the street and sat themselves on a nearby bench in the park while Trainers and families played and trained with their Pokémon.

"Where to begin?" wondered Valentina, crossing her arms, and folding one leg over the other.

"The beginning would be nice," said Alyssandra bluntly.

Valentina chuckled. "Of course," she said simply, "Well, I suppose I _should_ start at the beginning. I attended the Floaroma Town Pokémon Contest about a month back. I heard you were competing from mom, and I just figured, why not, right? You're my sister, I have to support you."

"Well doesn't that support kind of entail you actually supporting me?" asked Alyssandra.

"Well, I supported you, only in spirit," said Valentina defensively, though still with a smile on her face.

"Why didn't you come to see me yourself then?" demanded Alyssandra. She was full of questions and she was going to ask them all no matter how long it took.

"Aha, and now here is where it gets interesting," said Valentina, the eternal smile disappearing from her face, "I overheard your breakdown. What you said about feeling like mom and dad were always comparing you to me. I understood the pain in your voice—you really don't like it. I felt bad…I felt responsible."

Alyssandra looked at her sister, and for a moment was completely stunned. It wasn't Valentina's fault she was their parent's favourite. Alyssandra may have disliked that fact, and resented it a bit, but she never hated her sister for it, if that's what Valentina meant.

"Valentina," said Alyssandra in a comforting tone, "I don't hate you. Is that what you thought? That I was mad at you because of mom and dad always comparing me to you?"

Valentina didn't speak, but her eyes said it all.

Alyssandra leaned over and hugged her. "I don't hate you," she said smiling at her sister. It was weird comforting her. Valentina was always the older one, and the position was usually reversed.

It was usually Valentina comforting Alyssandra whenever the latter had a problem or needed comforting. She was always the big sister, the one looking out for Alyssandra. Even back in school, before Alyssandra hung out regularly with Sam or Jeremy, or even Niya, it was Valentina who kept her out of trouble and stopped the boys from bugging her.

But, it had all come full circle, and now was the time for Alyssandra to pay her sister back for all those years of being there for her.

"I was stressed, and I just kind of say things when I'm stressed," said Alyssandra, "I'm so sorry. I didn't know you were there."

Valentina smiled. "Well, I still feel bad," she said with a bit of disappointment, though Alyssandra could tell Valentina was feeling better about what she had overheard, "I left early, I had a challenger back at the League…I dunno, normally I would have stayed but I guess I was a bit down from what I heard. Point is, I told Sam and the others not to say anything to you."

Alyssandra smiled. "Don't worry about it," she said as if accepting an apology, but knowing Valentina she may as well have been, "I ended up winning anyway. I kicked butt in the Battle Round, and I won the ribbon. That's why I'm here in Hearthome, I'm trying to get my third."

"Well, I knew you were here to compete," said Valentina, "That's why I'm here. I figured I'd catch this contest, the whole thing this time."

Alyssandra gave a wide grin. "I can't wait for you to see me compete," said Alyssandra with enthusiasm, "Well, that's if I can even make it past the Appeal Round. I'm confident about the Battle Round, but my Appeals need work. I haven't practiced at all lately; my travels got in the way again. I was just about to practice now though, hopefully it'll be enough to help me get by, even if it's just one round I'll be happy."

Valentina laughed. "Hanging around Sam and Jeremy has made you a slacker," she joked, "You used to be on the ball all the time, now you're procrastinating. What would Fantina say if she knew? Niya's your mentor, and she of all people should know better."

Alyssandra couldn't help but smile; her sister always did know what to say to make her smile.

"Come on," said Valentina, standing up and brushing herself off, "I'll help you train, right here in the park. Maybe the two of us can scrape together a decent Appeal."

Alyssandra thought that this was a lifesaver and couldn't have been more thrilled. Up until now, she was so worried about the contest that she was sure she was going to lose. But now that she and her sister were teaming up, she felt she had a shot.

No, she _knew_ she had a shot.

Never was Alyssandra happier to have her sister there for her than now. And it made her feel even better that they had gotten over that minor barrier in their relationship and everything was back to normal.

Sam entered the Pokémon Centre, Dawn, and Lucas behind him. The trio was returning from a day around town, absorbing the sights and seeing all there was to see.

Sam didn't know much about Hearthome City, but he had Dawn and Lucas, two lifelong inhabitants of the city show him around, and Sam didn't regret it. Now it was late in the day, and it was time to meet up with his friends again.

As Sam entered the Pokémon Centre, a man suddenly approached him. A man wearing a tweed jacket and neatly trimmed and pressed tweed pants. His shirt was of the purest white, no doubt cotton, and he wore a black bowtie. An overcoat was slung over his arm, and his hair was pushed back beneath a bowler cap. The man was aged, and wrinkles covered much of his somewhat chubby face. He had a thick—and in Sam's opinion, increasingly over popularized—walrus mustache.

It could be none other than Mr. Donovan.

"Ah! Sam, my boy!" exclaimed the examiner as he placed his briefcase on a nearby coffee table in one of the nearby waiting areas.

"Mr. Donovan, I didn't expect to be meeting up with you here," said Sam, though he had a feeling he knew what this was about.

"Well, I tried calling here for you earlier, but you didn't pick up," explained the old man, "I was told you were out on the town, so I figured I would drop by. I seem to have come just in time! I have the results of your Breeder's Test here with me, and the others too."

Sam nodded, giving a smile. "Perfect! May I see them?" he asked, though he knew the answer.

Mr. Donovan nodded and opened his briefcase, passing Sam several thick stacks of paper.

Sam looked over all of them, perfect scores. Just like always. And with that, Sam slipped them into his shoulder bag for safekeeping. But that was just the written tests. He wanted the results of his Trainer-Pokémon Relations Test. That was handed to him next, and Sam took his time looking over this.

With each of his Pokémon he got a perfect score. Even with Gible. How he pulled that off after a near deadly disobedient streak from his Gible a few days prior was a miracle to Sam.

The Pokémon had bit down on Sam's arm and refused to let go during a training session. It took Niya and Jeremy combined to pull Gible off, and Alyssandra to distract it with a fresh piece of meat before it let go.

Thank goodness Sam was able to hide the bandaged wound from his uncle with his jacket, or there would be no living that one down.

Since the Breeder's test though, Gible had been very close with Sam, and had been very well behaved. Sam would need to start using him in battle more often now, in order to bring it up to the same level as his other Pokémon.

"And here is your new Breeder's Permit," said Mr. Donovan, handing Sam an envelope, "And the others are in there too."

Sam nodded with a small smile. "Thank you so much Mr. Donovan," exclaimed Sam. Mr. Donovan gave a laugh, told him it was no problem and after a quick handshake he was gone out the door again, back to his busy work schedule.

Sam smiled down at the sealed envelope and slid it into the inside breast pocket of his jacket.

"What was that about?" asked Dawn curiously.

"Anyone who wants to be a Pokémon Breeder needs to pass a Breeder's Test regulated and proctored by officials of the Pokémon League Organization," explained Sam.

It was a long process, but very well worth it.

"So, can anyone be a Breeder?" asked Lucas, "And what if I don't want to go large scale? Do I still need to go through this process?"

"Anyone can become a Breeder provided they can pass the test," explained Sam as he and his new friends sat down on a nearby couch in the waiting area, "But you need to know about Pokémon rearing, and herbs and the like. It's a lot of work. For smaller scale breeding operations, you still need a license, but if you want to carry more than six Pokémon on your team, a Breeder's License is required. Though, alternatively you can get a Breeder's Apprenticeship License, which allows you to carry an extra two Pokémon on your team at once for a total of eight, and only a written test is required as opposed to a written _and_ Pokémon-Trainer Relationship evaluation. Of course, to get an Apprenticeship license you need to have a registered Breeder recognized and licensed by the Pokémon League to mentor you before it's submitted for marking in order to verify if the applicant is worthy of the apprenticeship."

Dawn and Lucas were about to respond when in through the front door came Jeremy, Pikachu sitting on his shoulder, happily enjoying the view and life outside of its Poké Ball.

Sam walked over to Jeremy, the two acting like they hadn't seen each other in years.

"How was your day?" asked Sam.

"Pretty good. Amity Square was fun, how about yours?" wondered Jeremy in return.

Sam explained how he had been refused a battle with Fantina because he wasn't ready, and how he spent the rest of the day with Dawn and Lucas Oak. "I see you have Pikachu out of its ball, is it finicky still?" asked Sam, noticing the yellow Pokémon sitting happily on Jeremy's shoulder.

Jeremy shook his head. "Nah, Pikachu actually decided to stay out of its Poké Ball, permanently. Truthfully, it's going to have to stay that way from now on," said Jeremy with a smile.

"What do you mean?" asked Sam.

"It ran off with its Poké Ball and ended up dropping it down a hole somewhere and I can't get it out," laughed Jeremy, causing Sam to laugh along, "But if that's what Pikachu wants, I don't mind."

Sam nodded, agreeing with Jeremy's decision, but as he went back towards Lucas and Dawn, Niya entered the building, with a girl a several years older than her, whom Sam could only imagine was Drasna.

Drasna was tall, standing at about five feet, ten inches, an inch taller than Sam. She wore long, black stockings that went to the middle of her thigh over which she wore knee high boots. She had a white, long sleeve that had a low-cut neckline revealing another black t-shirt beneath the first. A frilly black miniskirt and a black knitted choker completed her outfit. Her hair was long, brown, and wispy, with small strands flowing everywhere in front and behind her.

"So, you're Sam and Jeremy, right?" she asked, her voice kind and full of whimsy, "I'm sure you've probably already guessed who I am, but for those who don't know I'm Drasna. Fantina is my mother and Niya is my darling little cousin."

Niya rolled her eyes at the last part, causing Sam and Jeremy to hold back laughter. "How much older than Niya are you exactly?" asked Sam.

"I'm twenty-two," said Drasna, "And in training in the Johto Region to be a Dragon Pokémon Trainer."

Jeremy and Niya looked at Sam, remembering that his grandfather was once a Dragon Pokémon Trainer, and a master at his craft too.

Sam tried not to notice everyone looking at him as he responded. "Johto? Does that mean you're training under Claire?" he wondered, knowing that Claire was a world-renowned Dragon Pokémon Trainer, and her cousin Lance, a celebrated Dragon Pokémon Trainer himself, was an Elite Four of Kanto's Indigo League, and Champion of the Johto League.

It was said Lance's family were the guardians of the Dragon Cave in Blackthorn City—where Claire was Gym Leader—and had been for hundreds of years.

Drasna nodded in affirmation. "Yeah," she said happily, "She's my master. She's a bit strict but it's all for the best. Just like how mom was on Niya."

"Or how Niya is on Lyss and Sam," added Jeremy, with a small laugh.

Everyone laughed along, but it was true. Niya was strict when it came to training, and though the training wasn't always easy, it was well worth it and paid off in the end.

"So how was your day together, Niya?" asked Sam, realizing no one had spoken to her since her and Drasna had walked in together.

"It was great!" said Niya happily, genuinely looking happy and excited, "We haven't seen each other in two years, and you have no idea how great it was to see her again. She's either off training in Johto, or I'm at a Pokémon Contest somewhere."

"I'm glad to hear you had fun," said Jeremy, joining the new conversation, "Have you seen Lyss anywhere?"

Jeremy brought up a valid point, no one had seen or heard from Lyss since earlier today, and she was always the first one back after days like this even during cram sessions.

The Contest Hall and park Alyssandra said she was going to be training in was just down the street, so what was keeping her?

But of course, no sooner had they mentioned her name than did Alyssandra walk through the door, causing everyone's jaws to drop as they saw Valentina walk in with her. The two sisters were laughing, shoving each other playfully and reminiscing of old times.

By the time they had finally reached the group, they had just noticed that everyone had gathered.

"Hey!" cried Lyss, jumping forward and hugging each of her friends, "How are you guys? How were your days?"

Alyssandra stopped to pet Pikachu on the head, causing the yellow Pokémon to jump from Jeremy's shoulder to Alyssandra's. Even Valentina patted him gently between the ears, giving Pikachu an Oran Berry that she pulled from her bag.

Pikachu cried with delight and left Alyssandra for Valentina's shoulder—and her Oran Berries—and everyone explained their days to Lyss, Valentina and Drasna silently watching on as the friends reunited.

"You guys don't get a lot of time apart, do you?" joked Valentina, her arms crossed, watching the scene unfold before her.

Everyone laughed, though it was obvious they didn't. It was kind of hard to get time apart when you were travelling together all day every day.

Valentina then turned to Drasna. "Nice to meet you!" she said in a friendly tone, "We haven't met yet, I'm—"

Drasna cut her off with an excited smile and an extended hand. "I know who you are," said Drasna, "I'm Drasna, it's a great honour to meet you."

Even though she was older, Drasna still treated Valentina like a celebrity, but of course the League Champion was just that. Being one of the strongest Trainers in one's region, not to mention the youngest to hold that title, did that to a reputation.

Valentina shook Drasna's hand with a smile. "There's no need to treat me like I'm famous," she said, waving her hand like it was no big deal, "I'm just another person. Actually, I came here to see my little sis compete in her Contest tomorrow, and I figured I'd help her train, because boy did she ever need it."

Everyone laughed, and even Niya joined in, though Alyssandra raised an eyebrow with crossed arms, causing everyone to laugh more.

Suddenly, Sam remembered Dawn and Lucas, and motioned for them to come over. "Hey guys, I have two people I want you to meet," said Sam as he brought Dawn and Lucas into the Centre of the gathering, "This is Dawn and Lucas Oak. They're Professor Rowan's grandkids and Sakura's cousins. I met them today while walking through the city, and they told me they had questions for us about how to have a proper Pokémon Journey."

"Really now?" asked Alyssandra with enthusiasm.

"I hope you didn't ask Sam anything," joked Niya, "He doesn't know _anything_. He once tried to battle inside of a cave."

"And he also thought it was a good idea to jump in front of a rampaging Garchomp," added Jeremy.

"Hey!" cried Sam defensively, "If I hadn't done that last one you'd be dead right now."

There was a silent pause, and everyone laughed again, including Dawn and Lucas as Jeremy stood there with an embarrassed smile.

"If you guys still want to ask us questions, feel free to," said Niya with a smile, "In fact I encourage it, especially since Valentina and Drasna are here, and they can add even more than me and my friends could."

"All right," said Dawn, smiling away at all of these friends.

Lucas was silent, more than likely due to nerves, but he looked excited too.

"What's say we do this after dinner though?" asked Sam, "I'm hungry, and Dawn, Lucas and I haven't eaten for a few hours; and it's close to dinner time. What about you guys?"

Everyone else nodded, realizing they hadn't had anything to eat in a while. In agreement that food was the new goal, the massive group walked towards the door.

"Where to?" asked Niya as she filed through the narrow door way, made smaller by the many amount of people trying to get out at once.

"I heard there's this great sushi place down the street," said Drasna, "It's brand new. Mom kept talking about it, I've been meaning to try it."

"Oh! Atsumori Sushi?" exclaimed Valentina, "Go! I went there a few months ago, you won't regret it."

"Sweet! You guys okay with sushi?" asked Sam, to which everyone agreed.

Even Pikachu gave a happy. "Pika!" now firmly stuck on Valentina's shoulder, waiting patiently for more Oran Berries.

As they walked down the street to the sushi place, Valentina slowed her pace, pulling Sam back with her.

"You really did those things?" she asked with a laugh, the two now walking a bit behind the rest of the group.

Sam smiled, scratching the back of his neck, laughing nervously.

That was admittance enough for Valentina, who gave a big laugh, and patted Sam on the back. "If you keep doing stupid things like that you're not going to live long enough to ask my sister out."

Sam only blushed, not responding causing Valentina patted his shoulder again, this time in a reassuring way. "Though I've got to say, congrats on the Garchomp thing," she said, "Not a lot of people would do that, even for a friend. It must've taken a lot of guts, and apparently you saved his life doing it."

Sam smiled, and he and Valentina rejoined the group, and as he did, something pinged in his head.

"Oh! Guys! I almost forgot," he said, the group pausing to watch Sam rummage through his inner jacket pockets only to pull out an envelope.

He tore it open and pulled out several plastic cards and handed one each to his friends; one for Niya, Jeremy and Alyssandra, and finally slipping the last one into his wallet.

"What are these?" asked Jeremy, looking at the card with wonder, noticing his name on it.

"They're Breeder's Apprenticeship Cards," explained Sam, "My uncle Lou and I had you guys registered for them before we left the ranch, that way you could carry up to two extra Pokémon beyond the six Pokémon limit."

Niya looked at Sam with a raised eyebrow. "I don't remember writing the test for it," she said worriedly like she had missed something.

"I wrote them all for you guys," laughed Sam, the group beginning to walk again, "My Uncle and I managed to pull some strings and have them mailed in instead of proctored directly by Mr. Donovan. I wrote for you, so we could keep it a secret and get it done before we left the ranch. Because it's an Apprenticeship Card, you don't need to do a Pokémon-Human Relationship test, just a written one. And my uncle and I signed the tests to confirm you guys as our apprentices and show that you're worthy of the apprenticeship. Mr. Donovan came by today to give me these and the results of all the tests. Perfect scores on all of them, thank you."

Sam's friends thanked him for the permits, though still thoroughly confused as to why they had these cards.

"So, what are we going to do with the ability to carry two more Pokémon?" asked Jeremy, still confused.

"That, my friends, is part two of the surprise," Sam explained, "And that will all be revealed later. For now, let's go to dinner!"

Everyone nodded in agreement and they continued the walk towards the sushi house.

The night was spent laughing and eating, sharing stories, experiences and advice with Dawn and Lucas and even each other. A night spent with more than just the four of them was rare, and always welcomed. It was just another chance to spend time with "family" and family. And that was something that was precious to everyone.


	42. 40 - The Contests Heat Up

~ Chapter 40 ~

Hearthome City, The Contests Heat Up

 _"Alyssandra's contest today saw a lot of firsts for her. She met her first Pokémon Coordinator friend who wasn't travelling with us. Her name was Marion, and she was a young girl from the Hoenn Region. She wasn't a professional, and in fact, she learned a lot from Niya whenever we met up with her for Pokémon Contests, but she was talented, and she was always there to help support Alyssandra when our words wouldn't get through. Marion almost cost Alyssandra her Hearthome Ribbon, but despite that, having Marion around also gave Alyssandra someone to compete against, someone to make her strive to always get better. Another first? Alyssandra met her version of a Richard Lestrange. Anastasia Les Stranges—no relation—but that's not what you'd think at first glance. That girl was horrible, and even though she was never a match for Alyssandra in terms of skill, that didn't make her any less of a hurtle, or any less of a rival."_

"If I ever become friends with _that_ girl, slap me," huffed Sam as he crossed his arms.

Jeremy nodded. "Agreed," he added.

Jeremy and Sam weren't too tall, about average height for their age, about three feet six inches, with short black hair each.

Sam was tanner than Jeremy, and Jeremy was a bit scrawnier than Sam, but they still could have passed as twin brothers—even despite their age difference, with Sam being six, and Jeremy, five.

Today was their first day of a new year of Pokémon Trainer's School. For Jeremy it was the first day of his first year, but for Sam it was the start of his second year.

The two stood in the schoolyard leaning against a wall waiting for the bell to ring.

Sam and Niya had just had one of their usual disagreements. Sam was friends with Alyssandra—well, friends was a strong word. Sam's grandparents were good friends with Jeremy's parents, Alyssandra's parents and, unfortunately, Niya's parents.

It was the only reason Sam ever started speaking to any of them. All because the four families got together when Sam and his grandparents had moved to Twinleaf Town four years ago.

Apparently, it all started when Jeremy, Niya and Alyssandra's families were trying to be neighborly. And ever since the four of them were kids they were usually forced to play together.

Sam didn't mind spending time with Jeremy, and hanging out with Alyssandra wasn't so bad, but Niya was just infuriating. Her and Sam always argued, and they never got along. According to Niya, Sam wasn't good enough to hang around Alyssandra, he was just a goofy kid, and she was "a whole year older."

"Stupid age difference," grumbled Sam, "Stupid Niya. If she weren't a girl I'd hit her! But grandfather taught me to never hurt a girl…and sadly, Niya counts."

Jeremy remained silent, just letting Sam vent to no one in particular. "What do I have to do to prove to her that I'm good enough to hang out with Alyssandra?" huffed Sam again.

This frustrated Sam, because he kind of liked her, a crush? Is that what it was called? Sam never really understood it, but he had heard some of the older kids talk about crushes.

All Sam knew was that he felt all jittery on the inside when he was near Alyssandra, and he blushed, and did whatever she asked. It was weird, but Sam didn't mind too much. But every time Sam started enjoying Alyssandra's company, Niya would come in and snatch her away.

The school bell rang suddenly, echoing across the yard.

Most kids sighed, or went "Aw", some grunted and others remained silent, unhappy that their playtime was over, and school was about to begin.

Sam froze, causing Jeremy to turn and question him. "Alyssandra isn't here," said Sam looking around the school yard, "She's always one of the first inside the door. I didn't see her this morning."

"Maybe she's late?" wondered Jeremy, who began to get nervous as he saw that most people had already gone inside for class, "Come on Sam, _we're_ gonna be late."

Sam shook his head. "No, she's never late. I'm going to go look for her, cover for me please?" Sam said with a grit and determination, dashing off around the side of the school, he didn't even hear Jeremy call out to him as he began his self-given mission to find Alyssandra.

He didn't have to look long, for as soon as he turned the corner, he could see her.

Alyssandra stood there, young, and innocent, and very quiet and shy. She usually didn't say that much, but everyone always seemed to understand her. She was the same age as Sam, but was a few inches shorter than him, with shimmering green eyes, and long brown hair. She wore a simple yellow dress today, and white shoes.

But what she wore and how she looked wasn't foremost in Sam's mind right now.

Sam wasn't sure what was going on, but Alyssandra looked scared, and some kids who were at least a year or two older than her surrounded her on all sides. There were three of them.

Leaning up against the corner, Sam listened in, trying to see what the conversation was about. "That's the little De Rossi brat?" asked one of the kids smugly.

Another one nodded silently in confirmation.

"You know what your big sister did to me?" asked the kid, glaring down at Alyssandra with crossed arms, "Huh?!"

Alyssandra jumped back, afraid, clinging to a Buneary doll. But the boy who had questioned her didn't find it cute, and ripped the doll from her hands, tearing the arm off as he threw it behind him, letting it land in the nearby garden.

Alyssandra's eyes filled with tears, and she reached outward for her doll, wanting to go and rescue it but was blocked by the leader of the three boys.

He pushed her back and screamed at her. "She beat me in a Pokémon Battle!" he screamed, "She humiliated me and my friends, and then afterwards when we tried to get even, she beat us all up!"

"W-why are you doing this?" sniffed Alyssandra, "I didn't do anything to you guys."

Her voice was barely heard over the sounds of life and nature, she was so scared and timid.

"We're going to get even with your sister, and we're going to use you to do it," said one of the boys. The boys grabbed Alyssandra by the hair and threw her to the grown, she was crying now, sobbing as her tears hit the grass.

"Say you're sorry!" yelled one of the boys, "And you go back and tell your sister to stop being so smug!"

"You think you're better than us?!" called another.

That was it for Sam; he jumped out from behind the corner and ran, full speed towards the boys. He managed to blindside one of them, ramming his shoulder into the leader, and sent him to the ground.

Sam then turned towards the other two, and by now they had realized he was there and started to retaliate.

Sam didn't have time for them.

He lifted his leg, kicking the left one in between his legs, and then ducked down and bit the other boy's ankle.

Turning back to the leader, Sam threw himself on top of him and started to punch at his head. Everything was a blur, and all Sam could feel was anger and rage.

Never before had he felt angry like this, but here he was, wishing death upon these boys and hurting them like he was going to be the one to do it.

Sam's victory didn't last long, as the other boys recovered and dragged Sam off their leader, throwing him to the ground.

The leader got up, throwing a kick to Sam's ribs. The other two boys held him down and the leader put his heel into Sam's stomach. Their leader knelt down and punched Sam in the face next, and Sam could feel his eye start to swell, as well as his cheek.

But Sam's torture didn't last much longer, as Jeremy came running around the corner, screaming.

"Don't touch my friend!" he roared as he jumped over Sam into the leader of the boys.

The two followers got distracted, and Sam took the time to break free. Standing up, Sam punched one boy, and as one came out to punch him, Sam grabbed his opponent's arm, and sunk his teeth deep into it. Sam could've sworn he tasted blood.

The boy let out a wild howl as Sam turned to Jeremy, watching him and the leader scramble.

Sam joined the fray, taking a moment to turn to Alyssandra. "Run!" he called, and the girl, still crying and confused, did as she was told, dashing towards the front of the school.

The fight continued, Sam jumping on the leader, helping Jeremy.

The two followers came back soon; one of them hit Sam in the gut, retaliating for Sam biting his arm earlier, while the other one kicked Jeremy in the side.

But the fight didn't last much longer at all, as Alyssandra, Niya, Valentina and Markus Alexios ran back around the corner with such a brisk ferocity Sam thought they were running a marathon.

As soon as they saw Professor Alexios, the fighting stopped, and everyone stood up, looking ashamed of their actions as their teacher and Head Master stood before them.

After a long lecture about fighting and skipping class, Professor Alexios herded off the three boys who were attacking Alyssandra but warned Sam and Jeremy he would be back for them soon and to wait there.

Sam gave a smug smile as he the boys were dragged off, and turned to Jeremy, giving each other a high five.

"That was great," laughed Jeremy.

"A bit painful," added Sam as he rubbed his face, "But great. That was awesome, the way you came around the corner and jumped on them like that."

"Well, if you weren't losing so bad I wouldn't have had to save the day," laughed Jeremy.

Sam laughed along, but Valentina ended their libations; putting her hands firmly on her hips and clearing her throat sternly. Ashamed once more, Jeremy and Sam bowed their heads.

"What the hell were you guys thinking?" she scolded, "You could've been seriously hurt. They were older and taller than you. You _should've_ gotten a teacher."

"We know," sighed Jeremy and Sam in unison.

"I'm sorry, it's my fault," admitted Sam, "I didn't see Alyssandra go to class at her usual time. I got worried…I don't know, I went searching for her. But when I saw her being attacked by those bullies I just—"

"They saved me, big sis," said Alyssandra shyly from behind her sister. "I was so scared, but Sam and Jeremy helped me escape."

Valentina looked down at her sister, and then let out a sigh. "You're lucky my sister brings up a good point," said Valentina, turning back to Sam and Jeremy.

"But that doesn't excuse you from being stupid and almost getting yourselves killed," she added, making sure the boys knew what they did wrong, "Thank you though. You helped my sister, and I appreciate it."

Sam gave a smile from ear to ear, and so did Jeremy, adding a chuckle onto it.

Just as Valentina, Niya and Alyssandra turned to go, Sam stopped them, calling out for them to wait. He ran over to the garden and picked up the Buneary doll, brushing off most of the dirt, and handed it to Alyssandra slowly and cautiously, like she was some wild and strange animal.

She was still clutching the missing arm tightly, but she almost forgot the doll in the dirt.

"You almost forgot this," said Sam, as he passed the doll to Alyssandra.

Alyssandra nodded silently and blushed a bit as she took the doll. "T-thank you," said Alyssandra.

And with that, the girls left, leaving Sam and Jeremy waiting for Professor Alexios to return and bring them to the office for a day of interrogation.

And so, it went, as they spent the day explaining their stories to Professor Alexios, writing out their part in the altercation on stupid pieces of purple paper.

By the end of it, Sam and Jeremy had spent the day joking around in a room to themselves and had missed a full day of class.

Professor Alexios decided that the boys, the three who had attacked Alyssandra, would be suspended for a week, while Sam and Jeremy would be sent home at the end of the day but be given detention for two hours after school for the rest of the week.

Apparently, what they did, while noble, was still considered fighting on school grounds and needed some form of punishment.

It was a fair trade off, though when it came time for Sam's grandparents and Jeremy's parents to pick them up after school it would be a whole other form of punishment.

Jeremy was taken home right away. His mother immediately started looking over his wounds with worry while his father scolded him on the importance of not fighting in school and being a good student. Though his father did recognize the noble reason behind Jeremy's outburst and commended him for it, the commendations were soon replaced with more scolding.

Jeremy would be grounded no doubt, Sam too, once his grandmother caught wind of it.

But alas, the school had no doubt called home, and of course, with Sam's luck, both his grandparents came to get him, instead of just his grandfather like normal.

His grandmother didn't look happy, but his grandfather looked as if Sam had just become League Champion.

"Look at my battle hardened young man," smiled Sam's grandfather, running forward and patting Sam on the shoulder, tousling his hair, "You're a true warrior now. And doing it all for a girl; you're a smart kid. I've taught you well."

His grandmother's response was less than understanding. "Aurelio don't applaud him for this," she said sternly, giving him a sideways glare, "He was fighting on school grounds, and he missed a whole day of class! What would possess you to do such a thing? And dragging Jeremy into this too?"

"Well isn't it obvious Nancy?" asked Aurelio, still beaming proudly, "He did it because he likes this girl, and personally, if she grows up to look anything like her aunt—"

Aurelio was cut short by a hard glare from his wife. "One comment, Aurelio. One more comment."

That was enough to keep Sam's grandfather quiet, but it did put a smile on Sam's face.

"And what are you smiling at?!" continued Sam's grandmother, "You're the one in trouble here!"

Sam was grounded for the next week and would not doubt spend the rest of it being scolded by his grandmother. Probably the next two, in reality.

His grandmother and grandfather bickered back and forth, peppering the conversation with congratulation, and scolding for Sam and his actions.

So, it would go, Sam was sure, until he got home, and probably until he went to bed…or graduated from Pokémon School. Or beat the Pokémon League…nope; he was never living this down.

Sam's grandmother started to lead him out of the school when Sam froze, watching Niya and Alyssandra turn the corner. "Um, grandmother," said Sam gently, trying not to instigate any kind of angry response, "Can I say goodbye at least, please?"

There was a pause from Sam's grandmother, and with a hesitant sigh, she allowed it, but warned Sam not to be too long because she would be waiting outside.

Sam agreed, and walked towards Niya and Alyssandra. "Are you okay?" he asked, and that was the first thing out of his mouth as soon as he reached her.

Alyssandra nodded shyly, blushing again.

Niya looked down at Sam, her light brown hair tied into a long ponytail. She had green eyes, just like Lyss, neatly pressed jeans, and a green blouse with red sneakers.

Sam was expecting an insult from Niya, but instead, he received a smile.

"You're okay in my books, you and Jeremy," she said happily, "After what you did today…I know you'll be good friends with Lyss, just like I am."

Sam looked at Niya with confusion, "I—what makes you think I wasn't before?" he wondered.

Niya shrugged. "Boys are dumb," she said simply, "I just wasn't sure if you guys were or not, but now I know you're not so…sorry, I guess."

Sam nodded, smiling back at Niya. "Thanks, and it's fine," he said.

"So, do you want to hang out some time?" she wondered, "I know we sometimes get together because our families are friends, but I mean, why not actually be friends, right? Especially after today."

Sam nodded. "I'd like to," he said happily, "But uh…I don't know how long I'm kind of grounded for the next week, so I'll let you know when?"

Niya nodded. "Cool," she said plainly.

Sam and Niya nodded again, shaking hands, and with one final goodbye and a smile at Alyssandra, Sam ran from the school towards his grandparents.

That was when friends became great friends; life-long friends who were inseparable.

Sam opened his eyes and found himself staring up at the bottom of Jeremy's bunk.

Rolling over, he saw Alyssandra and Niya had left already, no doubt early in the morning to meet up with Drasna and Valentina at the contest hall to prepare for the contest that would happen later that day.

Sam smiled softly, as he remembered his dream. It was more of a memory, actually. He had dreamt of the moment he and his friends went from acquaintances to what they were now, like family.

Sam yawned and dragged himself out of bed, walking over to the armchair by the window and threw on his white t-shirt. He turned back towards the door, slipped on his shoes, and paused.

Doing a double take from the door to Jeremy's bed, he noticed that Jeremy wasn't there, and the bed was fully made and Jeremy's stuff sitting neatly on top of it.

Sam shrugged, wondering if maybe Jeremy had gone downstairs already. He was a big boy now, and he could handle himself.

With a second shrug, Sam walked from the room and down a nearby elevator towards the lobby.

Sam was about to pass through it when he paused, and then turned towards the video phones. He might as well call home, and maybe a few other people.

Sam checked his watch. Breakfast ended downstairs in about ten minutes, though that was perfectly fine with Sam.

The chef had recently retired at the Pokémon Centre, leaving Nurse Joy to attempt to fill in until a new one could be hired. Albeit unsuccessfully. This food was dangerous to put to your lips and could possibly shorten your life, often burnt or just bad tasting. Most patrons opted to eat out for their meals, to which Nurse Joy was grateful—she disliked cooking, and it showed.

Sam chuckled to himself and whistled a tune as he punched in the number for his house.

His grandmother was supposed to be leaving for the Hoenn Region soon, and he wanted to speak with her before she did. The phone rang and after several moments, the black screen turned on and Professor Rowan was smiling right at Sam.

"Ah, Sam, good morning!" he said with grin, "It's quite early to be hearing from you, but then again it is a busy day. I assume Alyssandra and Niya are already at the Contest Hall preparing for today?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah, they met up with Valentina and Niya's cousin, Drasna this morning," explained Sam, "They took my cheque book too…something about needing a new dress and stuff, I don't know. I don't get involved with the girls and their needs."

Professor Rowan chuckled and scratched his jaw. "Oh yes, wise choice," he agreed, "Though I'm not sure giving them your pocket book was so wise…but, you did agree to finance this trip, and I know how you feel about Alyssandra."

Sam didn't even blush at this anymore; it was no surprise to him that, so many people knew. If Fantina knew, what shock was there was Professor Rowan knew? Especially since he was an old family friend and lived at Sam's house.

"Yeah…" admitted Sam truthfully, "I just—I don't know. Ah well, not the point right now! I met with your grandkids yesterday, Professor Rowan."

"Oh, I heard! They called me last night, rather late too," smiled Professor Rowan, "They said they spent the day with you and last night you all went out for dinner. I heard you gave them a lot of good advice. Lucas and Dawn have so much confidence in themselves right now. I'm so thankful you spoke to them. Believing in yourself is great but help from others always goes a long way."

Sam nodded at Professor Rowan's wisdom. He had a great point, as Sam wouldn't have been able to achieve a lot of what he had without his friends, family, or even his Pokémon supporting and believing in him.

"Well, I suppose you want to speak to your grandmother, now," said Professor Rowan, always knowing the true reason Sam had for things, "I'll pass you over then, but before I go, I want to give you some advice. Telling a girl how you feel about her isn't as big as you think. It's like removing a bandage, it hurts a bit at first, but it's even worse if you do it slowly. You just need to rip it right off. And at worst, you can always have Jeremy do a bit of liaison work like I did for your grandfather."

Sam and Professor Rowan laughed; Jeremy and Sam had the same kind of relationship as Sam's grandfather had with Professor Rowan.

"You miss him a lot, huh?" asked Sam, not even knowing where the question came from.

Professor Rowan gave Sam an emotional smile, somewhere between nostalgia and sadness. "Aurelio was like a brother to me. He was my best friend for sixty years," said Professor Rowan, "We were each other's confidants, rivals, and wingmen. After I helped him get Nancy, he helped me get together with my darling Emma."

"Emma?" asked Sam, again, not knowing where these questions were coming from.

Professor Rowan gave Sam another one of his looks, this time definitely more sadness than nostalgia. "She was my wife, as I'm sure you could guess," said Professor Rowan gently, "We were married shortly after your grandparents were. Emma and I had four beautiful kids together and were married for forty-five years. She passed away from sickness five years before your grandfather did, and at that point I found myself travelling around the regions to study Pokémon, because being in Sandgem Town was too painful. And then when you grandfather passed on, and I decided to move to the Kanto Region for a bit of fresh air and a change of scenery. There, in Kanto, I studied with my cousin, Professor Samuel Oak. I do miss them both terribly but seeing you and your friends on your Pokémon journey makes me so nostalgic and very happy."

Sam didn't know what to say, there was only silence. Sam never knew that this was what was beneath the rough exterior of the old Professor. He always seemed so strong; so solid and stalwart. Silent and confident, but never would Sam have guessed he was sensitive, but then again, he had only known Professor Rowan in depth for a few months now, and he hadn't known about any of this before.

"I'm really sorry for your loss," said Sam gently, trying to ease Professor Rowan's sadness in some way, but no sooner had Sam said it did Professor Rowan give a smile and laugh a bit.

"I'm sorry for pushing all this on you my boy!" he chuckled, "Come, I'll get your grandmother. She's upstairs packing, in the meantime, speak with Palmer, he's been over here making faces at me from behind the camera since I picked up. He's dying to talk to you."

"Palmer's there? All right, I'll speak with him!" Sam never turned down a chance to speak with his hero.

It was just like him to sit there yanking on Rowan's chain while he was waiting on his turn to speak.

Professor Rowan and Sam said their goodbyes, and Palmer's burst onto screen, his wild blonde hair and long, green trench coat standing out amongst all his features. "Hey there kiddo," laughed Palmer with a wild enthusiasm, "How are you?"

"Not bad, how about you?" returned Sam.

Palmer shrugged. "I heard you decided to battle in a cave like the old man. Nice going, a bit too dangerous for my tastes, but not bad."

"Not bad? I almost got us killed!" laughed Sam, "And what do you mean too dangerous? You're the guy who once had a battle on a crumbling mountain cliff."

"Yeah but we were using Flying type Pokémon, so there was no _real_ danger," explained Palmer defensively, his arms crossed, "Did you win at least?"

Sam shook his head. "We never got a shot in," said Sam a little disappointed, "Nothing decisive anyway."

"Ah, well maybe next time," winked Palmer, "So where are the others?"

Sam explained that the girls were off preparing for Alyssandra's contest while Jeremy was off…well, somewhere.

Palmer nodded in understanding and placed his hands behind his head. "So, are you participating in the Hearthome Battle Tournament tomorrow?" he asked.

Sam looked confused, he'd never heard of this tournament.

Palmer looked at Sam as if he was crazy and began to explain. "It's one of the biggest tournaments in the eastern Sinnoh Region, and definitely the most important in Hearthome City," said Palmer with excitement, "It's great! There's three days of festivals to commemorate the start of summer, and the tournament happens on the first day. Anyone can enter so long as you have two Pokémon. I really recommend you and your friends join. It's great practice for your Gym Battles, and it's loads of fun. I'd be there myself this year too, but I need to go with your grandmother to the Hoenn Region…and shame too, Cynthia is going to be there."

"You mean former Sinnoh League Champion Cynthia?" asked Sam in amazement.

She wasn't the Champion anymore, and hadn't been for two years, but she was still pretty big in the Sinnoh Region. She was an old friend and student of Professor Rowan, and even helped him and Professor Oak develop the Sinnoh Pokédex. Not to mention she had been the object of Palmer's affection for many, many years, and also that of Alder, the Unova Champion.

Beautiful and brave, that's what Palmer always said about Cynthia, but she refused to marry for many years and even to this day refused most men who came to her.

"Well if I see her, I'll let her know you say hello, all right?" said Sam, reassuring Palmer in a friendly way.

Palmer laughed. "I guess Cynthia is my Alyssandra," he joked, "Though I've told her how I feel many times, and even still she says no."

"Thanks for the confidence," retorted Sam, to which Palmer and he laughed.

"Ah don't worry, you'll be fine," waved Palmer, "I had the chance and let it slide, and it was my fault. Now I'm paying for it; that's not the same case with you."

Sam nodded and before he could respond his grandmother appeared, and Sam and Palmer said their farewells.

"Hello Sam!" cried Sam's grandmother cheerily, "I was just upstairs packing, and you know how long us women take to pack. How have you been? Where is everybody?"

"I'm good grandmother. Jeremy's off…somewhere, and the girls are with Valentina and Niya's cousin Drasna buying dresses and preparing for Lyss' contest, so they're not here right now," explained Sam for the third time.

Sam's grandmother gave him an all-knowing look. "You're paying for the dress, aren't you?" she said with a small smile.

Sam said nothing, but his grandmother already knew the answer. She chuckled and wiped her glasses. "My boy, I know you rarely spend your money, but at least ask a girl out first before you give her your cheque book," laughed Nancy, "Even your grandfather dated me once before showering me in gifts. The man always did love to get me things—even if I told him not to. He was always so sweet."

Sam nodded, remembering how his grandfather used to be. Always bringing his grandmother flowers when he came home after a day of fishing at Lake Verity or just a visit to Professor Rowan, and then the one time when Sam was very young, his grandfather had brought home a young Poochyena, which Sam's grandmother ended up naming Fang.

Fang was now at the Kanto Ranch with his uncle; he was getting restless and bored laying around the house, so Sam and his grandmother agreed he needed to be in a place he could run free, even play with other Mightyena.

He had been gone for about a year, and hopefully Sam would be able to go by one day and visit. He did miss the Pokémon; the two had grown up together after all.

"I won't take too much of your time then," said Sam's grandmother, "I'm leaving for Canalave City in a bit, where we'll take a boat to the Hoenn Region. And I'm sure you have things you need to take of before Alyssandra's contest."

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" asked Sam, worry starting to fill his voice. He cared for his grandmother, and at seventy-seven she wasn't exactly the youngest person in the world.

But Sam's grandmother would have none of it and raised an eyebrow at her grandson. "What did I tell you before?" she huffed, "I'm quite all right. I'll be perfectly fine. Professor Rowan and Palmer are coming with me, and that _should_ make you feel better."

Sam sighed, looking down at the tiled floor with a laugh. "Yeah, I guess," he agreed, "Have fun and be safe."

Sam's grandmother gave him a look. "Oh, look who's talking," she pointed out, causing Sam and her to laugh.

They said their goodbyes, and with that, Sam prepared to leave the Pokémon Centre. As he made for the door he froze, almost running into Jeremy and Pikachu, the latter of whom was running in front of Jeremy, pausing every few feet to make sure his Trainer had caught up.

"Woah!" cried Jeremy, jumping back just in time to avoid a collision, "Careful there Sam, you're going to bulldoze people if you don't watch where you're going."

Sam laughed. "Welcome back Houdini, and you too Pikachu," he joked, which earned a smiling "Pika!" from Pikachu.

"Where've you been all morning?" wondered Sam.

Jeremy wiped the sweat from his brow as Pikachu ran up his shoulder and rested atop his head. "Out on a run and a bit of a work out!" exclaimed Jeremy, sweat pouring down his cheeks and his face burning pink.

He looked so tired and so happy at the same time.

"I realized yesterday, that I don't have the endurance or fitness to be a Pokémon Ranger. I'm tough, sure, but I'm not that tough, not yet. So, I've decided to start training my body to prepare for the Ranger's test. And Pikachu's joining me, helping to motivate me!"

Sam looked at Jeremy, proud and happy for his friend. "You really want this huh?" asked Sam.

Jeremy nodded with such fervor and a passion, and that was all Sam needed to know he meant it. "You better get some rest, both of you. We have a few hours until the contest, which should give you enough time to regain your energy," said Sam kindly, "I'd also shower; don't worry about food I'm going out for breakfast now, I'll bring you back something, all right?"

Jeremy smiled, exhaustion setting in on his face and Pikachu's.

Sam returned the gesture and the three of them parted ways for a bit, Sam heading out towards a diner down the street.

He wondered what happened to Dawn and Lucas after dinner last night. They were staying at a friend's while they were in Hearthome City, and they were leaving in the morning, so Sam supposed he would see them whenever they turned up next.

Sam hoped he and his friends had given them good information about going on a Pokémon Journey. Sam wanted to make sure the two kids were prepared to face the harsh world out there. He doubted they'd have as many misadventures as Sam and his friends did, but as far as he could tell, the world was unpredictable, and Dawn and Lucas needed to be prepared for everything.

It was better than being lost in a cave for a day and a half until three mountain men came to find you by stroke of chance.

Sam chuckled to himself, entering the sliding door of the diner and sitting himself down at the counter.

"What'll it be?" asked an older waitress from behind the counter.

"Whatever the special is; two of them, one to go—and a coffee" shrugged Sam, and with that the waitress disappeared into the kitchen, shouting out orders to cooks.

"Only a few more hours," said Sam to himself, looking out the nearby window to the contest hall that stood above the city like a beacon.

"Why do we need to keep our eyes closed?" asked Sam, groping blindly for a wall to use as a crutch.

"Piiiika?" wondered Jeremy's Pikachu as well, its eyes having been blindfolded by Niya before being returned to Jeremy's shoulder.

Niya's hand came out of nowhere and grabbed his hand, pulling him forward; at least he thought it was Niya's. Sam really couldn't be sure, and for all he knew it could have been someone completely different whom he'd never known.

He, Jeremy, and Pikachu had been blindfolded and walked over to the contest hall by Niya and Drasna while Valentina put the finishing touches on Alyssandra's hair.

They wanted the reveal to be perfect, and also a secret.

As the three boys were brought to a halt, he could hear Alyssandra speaking.

"All right guys take off the blind folds and tell me what you think."

Sam and Jeremy removed the black cloth blindfolds and were faced with Alyssandra looking like had never looked before. She stood there, in knee high brown suede boots, and a red and white satin dress with crème-coloured silk layers, shaped like rose petals starting at the waist; layered over another.

The white and red areas of her dress were decorated with white satin flower stems. The sleeves were long and wide brimmed, and while it had a collar, her upper chest was revealed by a part in the dress.

Around her neck was a black collar necklace with a velvet rose at the end. There was a matching hair band in her up-do haircut, though the rose was much larger. She looked stunning.

"You look great!" said Jeremy truthfully.

"Pi-Pika! Pikachu!" agreed Jeremy's Pikachu, running over to Alyssandra, and jumping on her shoulder from where he nuzzled his cheek against hers.

Only prompting Valentina to feed him an Oran Berry again—not doubt his ulterior motive behind these acts and his main goal in the first place.

Meanwhile Sam couldn't bring himself to say anything, he was lost for words. Alyssandra was so stunning, and Sam couldn't even say it himself.

Valentina, Drasna and Niya were standing behind Alyssandra, smirking at him, or snickering quietly. At least, Niya and Drasna were, but Valentina at least had the decency to look away and smile.

Sam's face went red as he locked eyes with Alyssandra. "How about you Sam?" she asked with a giggle and a spin, "How do _you_ think I look?"

"I—well," stammered Sam, trying to find the words, "I guess my money was put to good use."

Valentina face palmed and Sam, realizing his mistake, corrected himself quickly—after much more stuttering. "I mean that in the best way!" he cried, "You look amazing; really beautiful—the most beautiful person I've ever seen!"

His face went red again and Niya had to step into the nearby change room to let her laughter go.

Even Pikachu was finding this funny, forcing Jeremy to put his hat over Pikachu's head, covering much of his face until the laughter subsided.

Valentina only sighed and gave Sam a look that told him he was over doing it.

But Alyssandra took no notice to her surroundings and walked over to Sam and threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly.

"Thank you," she said happily, "This was all made possible because of you—you were kind enough to lend me the money to buy this dress. I'm going to wear this at the Grand Festival—if I make it—and I wanted to test it out here. I promise I'll pay you back every dollar for this dress, I just—"

Sam placed a finger on Alyssandra's lips to hush her. "Don't worry about it," said Sam happily, drawing away from the hug and stepping back to get another look at Alyssandra, "I'm just glad you're happy, and that you'll be using it. As long as it doesn't go to waste, I'm fine. Though I know it won't."

"Besides, he did agree to fund the entire trip, right?" added Jeremy supportively.

"I thought you were adamant on paying Sam back for everything?" asked Niya, her eyebrow raised and hands on her hips. She had returned from the change room, fully composed and ready to continue with this conversation.

"Well, he wouldn't let me," shrugged Jeremy, "So if you can't beat him, join him, right?"

Niya rolled her eyes, and Valentina and Drasna stepped in. "Well we're glad you guys think Alyssandra looks great," smiled Drasna, "We spent hours working on her."

The bell rang, and the announcer warned all participants that the opening ceremony would be starting soon.

"Come on Lyss, let's get you to the stage for the opening ceremony!" said Niya, "Guys we'll be back!"

Everyone cried their cheers of support and good luck and Niya and Alyssandra disappeared into the entrance of the stage.

Valentina took that time to laugh a bit. "What a time to be speechless, huh?" she said, making a verbal jab at Sam, though in a very friendly manner, "At least you recovered though."

"Yeah and not a moment too soon," giggled Drasna, "I heard you were head over heels, but that was more like foot in your mouth."

Sam let out a sigh, but Valentina gave him a reassuring pat on the back. "Don't worry, you did fine," she said in a friendly tone, "Besides, she knows you like the dress. But uh…did you really mean what you said about the money being well spent?"

Sam nodded, and Valentina gave a smirk. "Good, I'm glad you feel that way," she said, turning around, "Because that was a quarter million Poké-Yen."

Sam's face went limp, and he gave a strained look. Most items sold in shops cost a few hundred Poké-Yen, for the cheapest of items, but even so…a quarter million Poké-Yen.

Sam sighed. "I—…it went to good use," Sam sighed, not being able to say no to Alyssandra's dress.

Besides, he knew she'd use it often, and would make the price well worth it in terms of wear.

"Just uh, try not to run up bills that big anymore, okay?" said Sam as he took back his cheque book from Valentina, "And any cheque you may have taken needs to be signed by me, so good luck using them."

Sam was only joking around, but as always, Valentina had a witty retort. "Who says I didn't just copy your signature from the last one?" she said, her arms crossed.

"There's no way you know how to copy people's signatures that well," returned Sam.

"How do you think I used to get out of Battle Class my final year?" asked Valentina.

"You told us that the teachers let you out because you were that good! And you used to beat everyone with ease!" said Jeremy like he had just found out his whole childhood was a lie.

"Well I was," shrugged Valentina, "And beating everyone like nothing got boring. It's not always fun being on top. There's no one left to give you any thrill in a battle. You know how few Trainers actually make it past the Elite Four to fight me? Let alone through the entire League? And even the ones who make it can't beat me. There's no thrill in their battle style."

Valentina let out a bored sigh and blew the hair out of her eyes.

"Ah well, that's what I've got _you_ for, right Sam?" smiled Valentina, turning towards the TV as the opening ceremonies began.

Sam looked at Valentina, even though everyone else had turned towards the TV. That was a writ of challenge. Valentina expected big things from Sam, and now he was going to have to live up to those expectations, and Sam could think of nothing better than doing just that.

"You did great!" cheered Niya after the opening ceremony, "You looked beautiful, and you introduced yourself so eloquently. I didn't know they were going to use Grand Festival Rules, so I never got a chance to prep you on them, but the fact that you could just wing it so well is amazing!"

Alyssandra smiled humbly, brushing her bangs out of her face. "I never knew they'd ask so many questions, but I did my best to answer them all truthfully as I could," said Alyssandra, "The Grand Festivals are really rigorous huh?"

Niya nodded. "It's the last chance that anyone has to appeal themselves and their Pokémon to the judges, that's why they ask so many personal questions," explained Niya as they stood off to the side of the stage, whispering as so no one on stage could hear them, and standing out of the way of the bustling back stage crew and other contestants.

"Everyone at the Grand Festival is supposedly the best of the best, so you really need to justify why you're there," finished Niya.

"Well considering they only hold contests for six months, three times a week in each city concurrently, it's a pretty cut-throat business," piped in a high-pitched voice, "They give you six months to get the ribbons, and another few months to prepare for the Grand Festival."

The two girls wheeled around, to see another young girl standing behind them. She was about a foot shorter than Alyssandra, though had to be about the same age.

She had long brown hair, that was tied back into a ponytail, but would have gone down to the middle of her back were it not. On her head was a black hairband with a pink flower on it.

She wore a long periwinkle blue shirt and shorts. Over them the girl wore a half shirt that had only a left sleeve and no right shoulder or sleeve. As well as a skirt, held together by several black straps and a golden silk belt.

On her back was a set of several pink metal rings, what for the girls could only guess, but they assumed she had a Flying Pokémon with whom these rings made a complete act on stage.

On her wrists were several blue ringlets, as well as on her ankles, which were also covered by cylindrical bracers made of pink cloth. Her shoes were golden silk.

"You seem very knowledgeable about the Pokémon Contest circuit," said Alyssandra in a friendly tone, "Have you been to a Grand Festival before?"

The girl shook her head. "Never, but my big cousin used to enter Pokémon Contests a lot when she was younger, and she was pretty good. And I don't have _that_ much experience, not as much as you do, Niya," she beamed, "I'm a huge fan, forgive me! I just heard you guys talking about the Grand Festival and I just…I don't know, I thought it was the perfect chance to come and meet you."

"Do you have a fan in every city?" asked Alyssandra of Niya.

Niya simply shrugged and shook the girl's hand kindly. "I'm glad to see my reputation proceeds me," said Niya, flattered by the girl's compliments, "Truthfully as a Pokémon Coordinator your reputation is one of the most important tools you can have. It's what got me into the Wallace Cup without an audition or performance review."

Alyssandra looked at Niya with both eyebrows raised; she had never heard that part of the story before. Then again, it made sense. If anyone found out they might accuse Niya of getting special treatment and buying her way to victory in that competition.

"I never knew that," said the girl with amazement, "That's so cool! Can I get your autograph?"

Niya blushed. "Well, I mean, I'm not really a celebrity," she said sheepishly, "It wouldn't feel right."

But the girl insisted, and eventually Niya agreed and signed the girl's ribbon case, causing the girl to squeal as fans often do.

"I'm sorry, but do you think I could get your name?" asked Niya suddenly, realizing the girl had not even told her that.

"Oh! I'm so sorry! I'm just so in shock from meeting you, and my mind is all over the place!" exclaimed the girl with excitement, "I'm Marion! I'm from Verdanturf Town in Hoenn!"

"Well it's nice to meet you officially," joked Niya as she shook Marion's hand again, "Have I introduced you to—"

Marion continued Niya's sentence for her. "Alyssandra De Rossi, winner of the previous Floaroma and Jubilife Contests," said Marion, now fan-girling over Alyssandra, "Known as Lyss by her friends, the younger sister of the Sinnoh League Champion, Valentina De Rossi, and is currently learning to become a Top Coordinator under your tutelage. She just started out and hasn't lost a match yet! Her Pokémon team consists of a Piplup, a Shinx, a Lopunny and a Cherrim!"

Alyssandra blushed nervously. "I didn't know I had a fan following," she said shyly, "To be honest I try not to stick out too much unless I need to. I don't even know what I really did to earn your respect—"

"Oh, not just me!" interjected Marion, "There's a whole group of young competitors that look up to you!"

"Really now?" asked Niya with a smirk, "Well there goes the reputation lesson I was saving for tomorrow. And here I wanted to expand on what I said earlier. Oh well, I guess I can't complain."

"I suspect some foul play with those wins," sniffed a snooty blonde girl as she waltzed around the corner with flair, "Did you buy your way to the top with Accardi money?"

The three girls looked over at their new "friend" with distaste, and Niya even shot her a glare. The girl stood there with her blue eyes glaring hard at Niya, Alyssandra and Marion, and her blonde hair parted into two knee length ponytails.

The girl simply shrugged. "I wouldn't be surprised," huffed the girl, "Talent is so hard to find these days. No one can compete with Les Stranges talent."

"Who?" asked Niya cattily, "Never heard of you guys."

The girl glared back at Niya, taking her comments as a personal affront. There was a silent stare down between Niya and this new girl, and in that time Alyssandra took an opportunity to examine the girl's outfit.

Truthfully, it wasn't incredibly standoffish like her attitude was, but it wasn't too plain either. She wore a pleated, plaid skirt that went down to her mid-thigh. Knee high black and white striped stockings with calf-high leather boots. She also wore a black blouse with short, ruffled sleeves and a red tank top over it with six, big, golden buttons sitting decoratively on the front.

In the collar of her blouse was a white bow, and on her head, was a red fisherman-like hat.

It was schoolgirl classy with a countryside flare.

The girl wasn't that tall either, about the same height as Marion, maybe even a bit taller.

But she was older, perhaps Valentina's age. No, definitely Valentina's age.

"I'm Anastasia Les Stranges," sniffed the girl again, raising her nose to the sky. "My family has been in the Coordinator game since my grandmother. We've even won a few Grand Festivals. We're the best of the best when it comes to Pokémon Contests, I don't know why other people bother to compete. But I guess there always needs to be losers to get second and third and what not."

"You seem awful sure of yourself," noted Marion sarcastically, her hand on her hip.

Alyssandra could tell Marion wanted nothing more than to strangle Anastasia with one of her metal rings right now.

"Please. These contests are just a formality for my family," she said with a bored tone, as she played with her finger nails, "The Grand Festival Cup is going to us. There's no doubt about it—just like always."

Niya continued to glare hard at the girl, and finally broke the silence with her own choice words. "Don't expect to win this year you little brat," hissed Niya with rage, "Lyss here is going to kick your butt to Hoenn and back! You watch!"

Anastasia let out a condescending and cold cackle as she walked away. "Good luck with that losers," she said as she walked off towards the waiting area, "Just because she has a Konstantinova helping her doesn't make her any better. There's no talent in your family either!"

And with that, the girl was gone just as fast as she had appeared, and Alyssandra and Marion were holding Niya back with all their strength to prevent Anastasia from being murdered behind the stage of a Pokémon Contest.

When Niya was finally under control and calm again, the three girls prepared to return back to their group of friends and introduce them to Marion.

"So, who was that girl?" asked Alyssandra, mostly to Niya.

Niya shrugged. "I wish I knew," she said, "I feel like I should too! The name sounds so familiar! All I know is that I want to pop her stupid blonde head off of her stupid little body!"

Marion just smiled nervously and changed the subject to the Appeal Rounds and what she had planned for her Pokémon, which was apparently a Swablu.

Something to do with the rings Marion was carrying and magic tricks. Alyssandra wasn't paying full attention so she didn't know much of what Marion or Niya talked about at all. The whole walk back towards Sam and the others, Alyssandra could think only of Anastasia and her words.

Accardi money, she said, with a lot of distaste. Did she know the Accardi family? Was she one of their rivals? And the Konstantinova family; she mentioned them too, and she spoke about them as if they were vermin to her.

Talentless she called them.

This Anastasia knew the Accardi family and the Konstantinova family, and apparently didn't like either of them. And then there was what Anastasia said about Alyssandra, and how she got to the Hearthome Contest.

Using Accardi money for bribes.

She never bribed a judge, and the only thing Accardi money ever bought her was food, sometimes a place to sleep, and her outfits, and even then, it was rarely!

The rage began to boil in Alyssandra.

This girl, Anastasia, had just insulted Alyssandra and two of her closest friends, and Alyssandra wasn't going to stand for it all.

It took a lot for Alyssandra to become this fired up about something, but Anastasia had fit the bill and pushed her buttons, and now Alyssandra was on the warpath.

Anastasia was going down.

The contests were heating up, and so was Alyssandra.


	43. 41 - The Hearthome City Contest

~ Chapter 41 ~

The Hearthome City Contest

" _Anastasia Les Stranges was a slimy little witch, and according to Fantina, her aunt Ursula was an ugly sea cow—that always did make Pikachu laugh for some reason. Bribery was the least of their trickery. Thank goodness, we were always one step ahead of them. If Drasna and Fantina hadn't given us the heads up on them, Lyss and Marion wouldn't have been the wiser in a lot of situations. Thank goodness skill is all that matters once money is taken out of the equation, and what Anastasia had in money she lacked in skill. It was vice versa for Lyss and Marion. They were both really good; it's a shame only one of them could win. But of course, who am I to not root for the home team? Ha-ha."_

"I can't believe you of all people didn't remember the name Les Stranges!" said Drasna with fervour, "If anyone was forced to listen to my mother's rants about the Les Stranges family, I would have thought it would be you!"

"I'm sorry! I was half asleep that first day of teaching, and she ranted on about them for an hour," said Niya defensively, "It got a little annoying after a while, so I just sort of zoned out…"

Sam smirked, as he saw that Niya wasn't as good a student as she was a teacher. She had come a long way, but it didn't make her past self any less funny. Thankfully for Sam, Niya hadn't caught the smile, or it would've been worse off for him.

"Personally, I still can't believe you guys didn't know that Sam was an Accardi," shrugged Valentina, "Niya and I knew for years, we just didn't say anything out of respect for his grandparent's wishes."

"How did you know when no one told us?" Complained Jeremy.

"Because while you guys were off playing, we eavesdropped on the adults. It wasn't that hard anyway. Sam Accardi. Accardi Pokémon Ranch."

"Sam always said there was no relation, his grandparents too," added Jeremy, "We thought he was being honest."

Valentina shrugged. "It's not like there are that many Accardis out there," she added, "But never mind that, right now that's not the focus of this conversation."

"So how are we going to take care of this little sea witch?" asked Drasna, "I mean, if she's buying people off we'll need to find a way to make her money invalid."

"I say we just go find out whatever she's paying the judges and offer them double," suggested Jeremy, "Sam go write the cheques!"

Alyssandra shot Jeremy a look that caused him to go silent, though at this point, if what Niya and Drasna said were true about Anastasia using money to win contests, Sam couldn't see a better way.

Sam's grandfather always said that one should rarely fight honourably. Your opponent will almost never give you the same courtesy, and only in the case that you find that rare opponent that does, should you show him the courtesy he shows you.

His grandmother on the other hand, always told Sam to play fair, and your victory was assured.

Sam never understood what that had meant, and more importantly, who was right; but now he was starting to get the meaning. What he wasn't getting was what he was supposed to do, or whose advice he was supposed to take.

Did he want to blindly trust in victory by doing good, even if it wasn't so assured at first? Or ensure victory regardless of what must be done to achieve the win?

But of course, this was not about him or his thoughts or plans.

This was Alyssandra's contest, and thus her victory, her fight, and her decision, and she had made it vehemently clear that she did not want to stoop to the same level as Anastasia.

"I don't think we should bribe anyone either," added Marion, "It doesn't make it right, and it's not worth the risk of disqualification."

The girl had remained mostly quiet in this debate and was finally voicing her opinions on the proceedings. "Exactly!" added Alyssandra, "I've come so far! I'm just about halfway there, and if I can win this, I'll only be two ribbons short of being eligible to compete in the Grand Festival this year! It's not worth the risk. Besides, I'm not Anastasia, I have skill and I don't need to bribe judges to earn my ribbons."

"Well put," said Valentina, "Cheating is never worth it in the Pokémon League. In fact, now that I'm aware of it, I'll tip off Contesta and the others. As Champion and head of the Pokémon League, they'll heed my warnings. Besides, I know Contesta; he'd never take a bribe. No Nurse Joy would either, and neither would Sukizo. If they're paying off judges, it's not those three, that's for sure."

Valentina then turned around and walked off towards the backstage section of the contest hall, no doubt to make good on her word. But no sooner had she left before her presence was replaced by a very flustered, and very clearly enraged, Fantina.

"Vhere is that vicked sea cow?!" she cried, storming onto the scene like a hurricane; a blood lust in her eyes, "I heard there is a Les Stranges participating in the contest this year, and I know that Ursula must be behind her 'success'!"

"Calm down, mom," said Drasna reassuringly, "I haven't seen Ursula Les Stranges at all. Though I don't deny Les Stranges money is behind her advancement up till now. The Les Stranges are closely related to the MacAbres—it's not surprising that they're both willing to cut throats to achieve their own ends."

"That explains why she knew about my family, and hates them," added Sam, "Now I really want her to lose."

"Vee all do, my boy," replied Fantina, "Even vhen I vas first competing in contests as a young girl! Ursula Les Stranges was using her family's fortune to buy her way through contests. It vas terrible! She did not deserve anything she got! I saw many good Coordinators be driven out of the profession by Ursula. Such talent vasted…because of selfish ambition. That ugly sea cow."

Pikachu burst out laughing, falling off Jeremy's shoulder and hitting the floor as it continued to roll in a giggle fit, clearly finding the term extremely hilarious.

Meanwhile, Drasna patted her mother on the arm gingerly, partly hoping not to awaken her wrath further.

Alyssandra opened her mouth to speak, wanting to voice her opinions further. She wanted to reassure everyone that despite how much money was offered to any judge, or how much Anastasia tried to get under her skin, Alyssandra had confidence in her skills and her victory.

But she was never able to voice these words, as the ringing of the warning bell kept Alyssandra quiet, as she, Niya, and Marion walked off towards the backstage with a quick goodbye.

"So, what are you doing here mom?" asked Drasna with her arms crossed, "You rushed all the way over here to confront the Les Stranges?"

Fantina brushed her hair back across her shoulder. "Yes and no. I am a secret judge for the Battle Portion of the contest," explained Fantina, "Do not tell Alyssandra though! I vant her fear of the unknown; I vant it to keep her on her toes. Being comfortable is not good, it means you are not avare or vigilant!"

Sam distinctly remembered Niya telling him and Alyssandra the same thing once, while they were training before Sam's battle with Gardenia on Route 205, right before they were all separated.

"Well, if you'll excuse me, I need to quickly use the restroom," said Sam calmly.

Everyone nodded, and he dismissed himself.

Truthfully, he just needed to look in a mirror and think through the whole Les Stranges thing that was going on right now, and whether or not he should step in, just in case.

Part of him knew it was wrong, but part of him still knew that it was more important for Alyssandra to win, not just for selfish reasons, but because it was wrong for Alyssandra to lose to a cheater.

But at the same time, if she won by cheating, even if she didn't know, and if what Valentina said was true, that the judges didn't take bribes, not the ones that were here today anyway, then it would just mean instant disqualification for Alyssandra for no good reason.

And yet…Anastasia was still in the running as far as they could tell, and if she had offered the bribe, it meant that she either wasn't turned down, or the judges went easy on her.

Regardless, Sam needed a moment to wash his face with some cool water, and clear his head, he needed to be able to think clearly right now.

Entering the restroom, Sam sighed and turned on the tap, letting cool water run down from the faucet and into his hands.

Bending over the sink, he drew the water in with his hands and splashed his face several times. When his face was nice and wet, he waited a moment for most of the water to drip off into the sink before grabbing a nearby paper towel and wiping his face down.

As Sam looked up from the sink, his eyes glanced over the mirror, and what he saw caused him to jump and let out a yell that he was surprised no one heard.

Wheeling around, fear and wonder in his eye, Sam looked at a tall figure, with short white hair and a thick white beard that stood before him.

He was in a nicely pressed suit, black with a rose in the jacket pocket, and wore a white shirt, black vest, and red tie. The man smiled, with a twinkle in his smoky grey eyes.

"Grandfather…?" said Sam slowly, in disbelief, yet casually, as if he was asking what time it was.

"Yes, my boy, it's me! How are you?" asked Sam's grandfather.

"I'm good…how are you?" asked Sam further.

Still smiling like nothing was wrong, Sam's grandfather replied with a cheery. "Fine! Just fine! I'm dead though, but other than that I'm in top shape!"

"That's what I thought…" Sam replied, colour draining from his face, "So…what are you doing here?"

"Oh, don't ask me that, Sam, you brought me here; or something did anyway," said Aurelio as he was just asked the answer of a very obvious question, "Last thing I knew, I was having a charming little luncheon with my parents and siblings, and some other long dead relatives and then—poof—I'm standing here behind you, and in the suit, I was buried in no less."

"Yes, but how? You're dead, and I'm not clairvoyant or a medium. Not to mention the fact that you're dead!" said Sam loudly, but not loud enough for someone outside to hear, "And unless I'm starting to see ghosts, or going absolutely crazy, I can't—for the life of me—figure out why you're here and why I see you. Are you a figment of my imagination?"

"I guess so," added Sam's grandfather, looking just as confused as Sam was. He looked more like a man trying to think through a riddle, than a ghost brought back from the dead.

In fact, Sam, out of curiosity, went and placed his hands out in front of him and walked into the man.

There was no mistaking, Sam could touch and feel his grandfather, but he definitely wasn't alive. There was no feeling of warmth or life in the man's body and touching him felt like touching a hollow shell or some sort of exoskeleton.

"So…so, how's death?" wondered Sam, trying to find some form of small talk.

"Oh, it's wonderful. At first you think it's boring, but then you get to meet all these people you haven't seen in forever," explained Aurelio with excitement, sitting himself on the counter, "People you've lost, or missed, and the like, and sometimes people you've never met. Did you know that I met my great-great-great-great-grandfather? Apparently, I get my eyes from him, and my beard, and my sense of humour too."

"Huh," was all Sam could say in reply. He truly had no idea how to make small talk with the dead.

"So, how's life, my boy?" wondered Aurelio, "It's been seven years, I'm sure so much has changed."

"Life's good," explained Sam, "I'm on a Pokémon Journey now with Jeremy, Lyss and Niya. Palmer and Professor Rowan are keeping an eye on us—in fact it was Professor Rowan who got us to go. It's a long story; I'd like to tell it to you sometime, really. So much has changed recently, especially in the past few months…more so in the past few months actually."

"Well why not tell me now, my boy?" asked Aurelio, "Now's as good a time as any! Besides, it's never good to put things off. I taught you that, didn't I?"

Sam nodded; truly, he would've loved nothing more than to just sit in the bathroom forever and tell his long dead grandfather everything that's happened to him in the past seven years, and catch up on old times, while comparing tales, but Sam had to get back to his friends, and how long could one take in the bathroom before people started to pose questions?

Sam explained as much to his grandfather, who sighed, a bit disappointed, but also proud that Sam was travelling with his friends.

"Then you must tell me later," said Aurelio, "I want to hear everything, you understand? Every last detail and leave nothing out!"

Sam nodded. "I will. You know, you should really stick around a bit, I'm sure you'd enjoy watching Lyss at her contest," suggested Sam, making his way to the door, pausing just before he touched the handle, "Um, no one else can see you, right?"

Aurelio shrugged, hopped off the counter, and went through the wall. He returned several minutes later, a smile on his face. "I yelled at several people, but no one seemed to notice. I think it's safe to assume that I am invisible to everyone but you."

"Perfect, then you should stay!" said Sam excitedly.

Aurelio shrugged again. "Why not, what else have I got to do?"

Sam chuckled, pausing one last time before leaving the bathroom. "Final question," said Sam, "Do we have any prior instances of insanity in our family?"

Aurelio paused and thought for several moments, trying to remember to the farthest reaches of his family tree, and answered with a shake of his head. "Well, actually there was my uncle Tiberius, who died wrapped in cabbage leaves, but we always deemed that a freak accident," added Aurelio suddenly.

Sam was somewhat afraid of that answer, but at the same time, by some miracle, his grandfather was actually here with him. After seven years, Sam could finally speak with his grandfather again. He didn't know how it worked, or why it was happening, but he was given a second chance.

A chance to get rid of all the regrets Sam had had about his grandfather's passing the first time, and a chance to learn from all of his grandfather's wisdom, something he hadn't benefited from one hundred percent when he was younger.

Sam exited the bathroom and returned to his friends, and as he reached his circle of friends once more, he earned glances from Niya and Valentina while Jeremy was busy trying to take an Oran Berry from Pikachu's hands.

Apparently, eating too many wasn't good for the Pokémon, and Valentina had spoiled him with them.

Fantina had gone off somewhere, and Alyssandra was still backstage with Marion.

"You just missed Lyss' appeals," frowned Niya, pointing to the small TV screen that hung from the ceiling, which currently showed the judges doing a recap of Alyssandra's performance, "They were really good! She used her Piplup and a combination of Ice Beam, Peck, and Bubble Beam. Piplup started with Bubble Beam and used Ice Bream to freeze the bubbles. Then, Piplup used Peck to shatter the bubbles and turn it into beautiful ice flakes. It sparkled beautifully in the lighting; twice as beautiful as glitter, and her Piplup's speed was amazing. I've never seen a Piplup move so fast, to use three moves so quickly in succession, as well as getting those frozen bubbles before they hit the ground—Ice is heavy, you know—the judges gave her three eights for her incredible skill and masterful knowledge of aesthetics."

Sam was impressed by the description of Alyssandra's appeals, while Valentina took pride in it as she listened to the description. For a last-minute brainstorm between sisters, it was very good.

Sam could only imagine how much better it looked in person, and he regretted missing it, but he had been with his dead grandfather.

At that moment, Sam noticed something, as he saw that his grandfather was nowhere to be seen. He was just behind him a moment ago. Maybe he couldn't appear in front of other people? No, he walked in front of other people before and no one could see him. Was it like a phone; did Sam need reception?

No, that couldn't be it either. Sam made a mental note to figure out how this ghost seeing thing worked later.

"I'm sorry," said Sam, that being all he could really say about now, "There was a line for the bathroom like you wouldn't believe."

No one asked further, and Sam was grateful the conversation was left at that. At least he would be able to watch the Battle Portion.

As per Grand Festival Rules, contestants were allowed to change their Pokémon between the Appeal and Battle Portions. Which Pokémon Alyssandra intended on using was a mystery to Sam, but no doubt one of the ones she had most recently caught. Sam couldn't wait to see the Battle Portion unfold.

"What about Marion?" asked Sam, "Did I miss her appeal as well?"

"Yes," stated Valentina, "She was right before Lyss." Jeremy finally returned to the group and he continued the explanation.

"She used her metal rings for her performance," explained Jeremy, "She flung the rings around, tossed them in the air, and even locked them together a few times. It was amazing. At the same time, she had her Flygon set the rings on fire and fly through them as she tossed them into the air. She did well, and even moved on to the next round. Same score as Lyss."

"Excellent, I'm glad she did well. I knew there was a lot of skill in her, just by first glance," cheered Sam proud for the group's new friend, "And a Flygon…she must be a good Trainer to evolve a Trapinch into a Flygon at such a young age. Training a Dragon type Pokémon, even partial Dragon, isn't easy."

Drasna nodded as she returned from who knows where. "Dragon type Pokémon are very hard to train," she agreed, "They take patience, calm, understanding, and a great inner strength. You need to know how to be friendly but command a strong presence. In the wild, Dragon Pokémon live in groups where the strongest and most dominant male and female reign supreme. When training a captive Dragon Pokémon, the Trainer must take on the role of the strongest male or female. You wouldn't expect it from someone Marion's size, but she must have been one imposing figure for that Flygon."

"So, speaks the expert," chuckled Niya as she motioned to her cousin.

"I'm just going by what I've learned from Claire," shrugged Drasna, "Besides if anyone's the expert here it should be Sam. His grandfather was a world-renowned Dragon Pokémon Trainer. There's not a Dragon Pokémon Trainer that came after who doesn't idolize the man, myself included."

Sam smiled, and realized he knew almost nothing about raising Dragon type Pokémon. His grandfather had never taught him anything about the subject, in fact, Sam never knew about his grandfather's past until just recently. Anything Sam knew about raising Pokémon came from his time at the Ranch.

Sam made another note to ask his grandfather about raising Dragon Pokémon when he saw him next.

"You should start training," said Drasna, "I know you're not a Dragon Pokémon Trainer yet, but with your Accardi blood, and your grandfather's tutelage, I'm sure you'll do just fine."

"Well, I've never really put any thought—" started Sam.

But he was cut off as a voice sounded behind him. "This girl is sharp, she recognizes talent when she sees it my boy!" exclaimed Sam's grandfather, appearing suddenly from nowhere; "I think you need to take her up on her offer. Go realize your destiny!"

Sam wanted to jump from being startled and also sigh from his grandfather's overly enthusiastic attitude.

"I'll think about it," said Sam, both to his grandfather and Drasna at the same time, "I mean…it sounds fun, and I know a lot about rearing Pokémon from my summers at the ranch, and I guess if my grandfather was good at it, I can be too."

"Well, whenever you feel ready to accept your chosen destiny, let me know," smiled Drasna, "I'll give you a crash course."

"Thanks," said Sam, though Valentina seemed eager to add to the conversation.

"I also think you should do it," she added, "I mean, you've got the skills, I'm sure. I've heard stories of how you battle. If you can train Dragon Pokémon the way you raise your current Pokémon, I'm sure you'll be fine."

"Is that Valentina? Dear me, she's all grown up," exclaimed Aurelio, not having seen Valentina in seven years, "How is she? Is she still the best Trainer in Twinleaf?"

Oh, if only his grandfather knew, thought Sam to himself.

"What about Anastasia, how did she do?" asked Sam, this time a bit of venom in his voice.

"She didn't make it through this round," laughed Niya, beaming away at the thought, "One word from my aunt and Valentina, and the judges were on high alert. Mr. Contesta, Mr. Sukizo and Nurse Joy shot down the bribe right away and threw her and her family out. She wasn't happy at all!"

"They wouldn't have accepted the bribe anyway, I'm sure," added Valentina boldly, "Though, I can't say other judges would do the same. If it weren't for those three being here, Anastasia would have won today."

Then came the ringing of the bell, to signal the start of the end of the Appeal Portion, and the group gathered around the nearby TV to watch the recap before the Battle Portion began, and who was moving on to the next round.

"Ooh! Is that the lunch bell?" smiled Aurelio jokingly, "I'm famished!"

You're dead; you can't be hungry, thought Sam, once more only to himself.

His grandfather hadn't changed at all, if anything he had actually expanded his sense of humour in the past few years.

Alyssandra and Marion stood by the side-lines of the stage, waiting for their moment in the spotlight; literally. "I can't believe how fast Anastasia was dealt with," said Marion with wonder, "I never expected her to go down so fast. I mean, she made it this far, and her aunt made an entire career off it if Drasna spoke true."

Alyssandra nodded, biting on her thumbnail; she was too nervous to speak.

Alyssandra had made it to the Battle Portion of the tournament and so had Marion. Both of them did rather well in the Appeal Portion, as Alyssandra had hoped and expected, but now it was down to the final eight contestants.

Alyssandra had, hopefully, three more battles to go through before she won the contest, the problem was everyone else was hoping to win the same three battles in a row in order to win.

Even Marion was now an enemy; an opponent. Alyssandra bore her no ill will, nor did she dislike Marion, but a competition was a competition, and she knew Marion felt the same way.

Of course, Alyssandra still didn't know whom she was to battle, which only added to her nerves, but as they began to announce the matches on all screens in the Contest Hall, Alyssandra began to see the sick and twisted irony of the world she lived in.

Alyssandra and Marion were to face off in the first round of the Battle Portion, and in the first match too.

The two new friends looked at each other with a look that showed they acknowledged the spirit of competition and told each other that their feelings of friendship would not change at all no matter what happened, or how this ended.

Together, as the announcer called them on to the stage, they walked towards their respective marks. Marion with her rings, Alyssandra with her Poké Ball gripped firmly in her hand.

Aurelio stood behind Alyssandra, curious to see the rest of Sam's friends seven years later.

"She's pretty," he smiled, "Sam is lucky, and she did turn out like her aunt. But can she battle like her sister?" Aurelio's look suddenly turned serious, as he knew he was about to witness a great battle.

"Are you guys ready?!" cried the announcer, gathering a roar from the crowd, "On the left, we have Marion, a newcomer to the Sinnoh Region, originally from Verdanturf Town in Hoenn! She is a masterful Pokémon Coordinator who is able to command a Flygon and several metal rings at the same time!"

He paused and allowed the crowd to cheer.

Aurelio rolled his eyes and began to clean his nails. "Please, I once did battle with a volcano using nothing but a Geodude and a Corsola, and I didn't even own them!" stated Aurelio, "They should talk about that!"

"And on the right! Alyssandra De Rossi of Twinleaf Town!" continued the announcer, "New to contests altogether; Alyssandra has been gathering a small following in the last few months, with two victories in Jubilife City and Floaroma Town! She uses an array of Pokémon but does so masterfully and with grace! Now, without further ado! Let the battle begin!"

There was a roar from the crowd once more, and the battle did begin. Marion sent out her Flygon, and Alyssandra sent out her Lopunny.

"Ah! A Lopunny!" exclaimed Aurelio, "Now, I wonder, how does she plan to get a Normal type Pokémon like that to prevail against a Dragon and Ground type Pokémon like Flygon?"

Marion raised her metal rings, all in one hand, then grasped the other side with her other hand. As she pulled them apart, like she was opening a scroll, all five rings expanded and appeared as if locked together.

Then, Marion loosened her hold on the rings, allowing them to sink a bit, and tossed them into the air, separating them.

As they entered the air, her Flygon flew into the sky. "Flygon! Flamethrower through the rings! Hit your target!" cried Marion.

"Fly-goooon!" roared the Dragon Pokémon as it unleashed the flames through its mouth.

"I see! The rings act as cross hairs with which Flygon can aim at the opponent," explained Aurelio to himself, "It shows off the skills of the Trainer, and the ability of the Pokémon to aim its attack ever so carefully as to go through all the rings and hit its mark before the rings fall."

Sure enough, the Flamethrower was fast, and if Alyssandra hadn't called for Lopunny to dodge she would've lost more points than she did.

"Oh yes, if I remember correctly, Battle Portions give each competitor one hundred points. They can only lose points, and the entire point—" Aurelio chuckled at his pun, "—of the Battle Portion is to decrease your opponent's points, either to nothing or lower than yours in the five minutes you're given. You can lose points from getting hit by an opponent's attack, having your attack work in your opponent's favour, having your attack be deflected, or when your opponent performs an especially beautiful attack. If your Pokémon is deemed unable to battle, you lose all your points."

True to Aurelio's word, Alyssandra did loose points for that last attack. Flygon's speed and accuracy were the cause of that, but Alyssandra wasn't going to go down so easy.

"Lopunny, go jump through those rings and use High Jump Kick on Flygon!" cried Alyssandra, who took advantage of Marion's constant tossing of the rings to her advantage.

"Punny!" nodded Lopunny as it jumped with its hind legs and bolted straight towards Flygon.

"Flygon, Dragon Breath!" returned Marion, hoping to get Lopunny in mid-air, but Alyssandra was prepared.

"Protect!" she shouted back.

With a quick "Lopunny!" and another understanding nod, a clear bubble appeared around Lopunny, breaking the blue flames with its shielding power. As the flames parted around the bubble, Lopunny appeared as a comet to the crowd, causing ah's and cheers to rise up from the audience.

Lopunny made it through the second to last ring just in time to be able to hop off the top of the final one, which had sunk down in the split second it had taken her to block the attack.

Jumping from the ring with as much force and strength she could muster, Lopunny landed its High Jump Kick right into Flygon's back, sending it down towards the ground a bit before the Dragon type Pokémon recovered.

"Goooon!" cried the Flygon with a slight wince as it fell from the sky.

Marion lost at least a quarter of her points for the failed Dragon Breath and for the High Jump Kick landing.

"Amazing folks! Not only did Lopunny managed to jump through four of the five rings, but it blocked a Dragon Breath attack and landed a High Jump Kick of its own!" stated the Announcer, giving a recap to anyone foolish enough to have been looking away.

From what Aurelio could tell, Alyssandra was in the lead with ninety points, and Marion was second with seventy-five, but with a little over four minutes left on the clock, anything could happen.

Indeed, Marion knew this as well, because she smiled as she grabbed her rings, three in the left hand, and two in the right, and tossed them all in front of her Flygon. The rings floated between him and Lopunny, who had now landed back on the ground, in the middle of the ring.

"Flygon, use Sandstorm!" cried Marion with calm.

Her Flygon gave a small roar, and flapped its wings, causing sand and wind to blow high speeds at Lopunny.

"Oh no," said Aurelio, clearly cheering for Alyssandra by this point, "I know this tactic. And even if I didn't, it doesn't take a genius to see where this is going!"

"What is Marion planning to do with that Sandstorm folks?" asked the Announcer rhetorically.

Flygon by now had engulfed the entire stage in sand and only shadows of the two competitors and their Pokémon were visible.

Lopunny covered its eyes as the sand threatened to enter them, but that was the Pokémon's only mistake.

Alyssandra bit down on her lip and watched helplessly as what happened next unfolded before her eyes.

Flygon, under Marion's command, flung the rings towards Lopunny with its tail. The rings landed around Lopunny like a ring toss game.

"Shake them off!" yelled Alyssandra, hoping her Pokémon would be able get the rings off before anything worse happened, but it was, once more, too late, as with each struggled move, the rings tightened around Lopunny until they were bound as tight as skin.

Suddenly, the sand began to clear, making matters worse as the entire stadium gasped—announcer, judges, crowd, and all—as they witnessed the wriggling Lopunny and a triumphant looking Flygon.

"Amazing! As if by magic, Marion has not only trapped Lopunny with her rings, but she has made them tighten around her opponent!" exclaimed the Announcer in amazement, bewildered by what he was seeing.

"And to add insult to injury—or is it injury to insult in this case?" wondered Aurelio as he commentated to himself, "Regardless, to make matters worse, Marion is having Flygon prepare another Dragon Breath."

Things looked grim for Alyssandra and her Lopunny, bound tightly by the metal rings. The poor Pokémon didn't have much left in her, and Alyssandra had just lost thirty points for the ring trick. This attack would probably take another bit off, and with two minutes left on the clock Alyssandra was starting to panic.

No, no she couldn't panic; panicking didn't make anything better. Just like Niya said, she needed to remain calm.

Alyssandra took a deep breath and calmed herself. She had just the move to deal with this situation, and she didn't even know it.

"Lopunny, Ice Beam quickly! Aim for Flygon's Dragon Breath!" shouted Alyssandra.

Lopunny stopped struggling and prepared an Ice Beam. "Looooo," started Lopunny, charging the attack as a white ball before its mouth, "Punny!"

It looked like blue lightning as it shot towards Flygon, whom had just fired the Dragon Breath. The two moves collided, exploding, with the Ice Beam cancelling out the Dragon Breath; five points from Marion.

"All right! She's got it!" cheered Aurelio.

"One more time Lopunny!" cried Alyssandra again, "Aim for the wings!"

Another on target shot, and this one froze Flygon's wings, rendering it flightless.

Fifteen points from Marion, because the attack was strategic.

Alyssandra was in the lead now.

"Again!" shouted Alyssandra one more time.

Flygon took a direct hit from the Ice Beam, a doubly super effective move on a Ground and Dragon type Pokémon. This was the one that brought Flygon to its final few breaths. It was worn out, it was weak and Alyssandra still had a little under a minute left.

Wasting no time, Alyssandra used these precious few seconds to freeze off the rings with another Ice Bream, making them brittle from the cold and shattering them with a little force.

Then, Alyssandra gave a saddened look to Marion, as the Pokémon Coordinators both knew that this was the final move, and with Flygon in the weakened state as it was, and the metal rings broken, Marion was finished.

Alyssandra prepared the coup de grace in the form of a final Ice Beam, right at Flygon.

The Pokémon took the hit, facing it with bravery, even though it knew this was defeat. With ten seconds left on the clock, Flygon was left unable to battle, and Marion's points depleted.

The entire arena was left in silence, and the judges and announcer were no exception either.

"The Flygon knew it was the end, and faced it bravely," said Aurelio gently, "Pokémon are such mysterious and noble creatures." And with that, he faded away into nothing, disappearing once more.

Finally managing to say something, the announcer took a hold of the situation and spoke. "Well that was certainly a suspenseful match, wasn't it folks?" asked the announcer, once more rhetorically, "Well, I'd love to say let's pass it to the judges for their final word, but it wouldn't be a day of surprises if we didn't have another one up our sleeve! That's right folks, not only did we throw Grand Festival Rules at our contestants to test them, but now we have a special guest judge for the Battle Portion!"

Everyone murmured in excitement, each audience member guessing whom it might be.

The second row of curtains behind the three main judges and the main stage parted, and several spot lights flashed on, all focusing on Fantina, who twirled a bit and walked down towards the announcer and the main stage.

There was a massive cheer from the crowd as she did.

"That's right, folks! It's none other than Fantina Konstantinova!" cried the Announcer, "Hearthome City Gym Leader and local superstar Top Coordinator! She is our surprise guest judge! Fantina, what are your words on the battle?"

There was brief silence from Fantina as she took the microphone and thought hard about her answer. "It vas truly exhilarating," started Fantina, "Both Pokémon fought tooth and nail, like their lives vere on the line. Their grace, their beauty, their strategy—magnificent! A Pokémon Battle is more than just strategy; a Pokémon Contest is more than beauty! As a Pokémon Trainer, Gym Leader, and Pokémon Coordinator, I know vhat it takes to be the best in all fields, and how closely related all fields are!"

Fantina paused, walking towards the stage; Marion and Alyssandra stood side by side, waiting for judgement, their Pokémon resting in their Poké Balls.

"Marion is a strong Trainer and Coordinator, she can command a Flygon at such a young age like she vere a General commanding an entire army," said Fantina with her usual whimsy, "And Alyssandra, though she is new to this, is getting a quick hand on it. Her ability to think of a strong strategy under fire and in the heat of battle, or even in the middle of defeat, that is her strength! It is, vhat I believe, makes her most dangerous. She is unpredictable, and you never know vhat she vill pull from her sleeve vhen everything is on the line!"

"But of course, there can only be vun vinner!" continued Fantina, beginning to bring everything to a close with her final few words, "And vhile it pains me to choose only vun of you, I deem that the points should remain. Alyssandra De Rossi you are the vinner of this first battle!"

The crowd let out a roar, and everyone back stage cheered for Alyssandra fervently.

Even Marion gave a hearty clap to her new friend, and the two walked off the stage together, hand in hand after taking their final bow together. After all, this amazing battle wouldn't have been possible without Marion, she was just as much to thank as Alyssandra was.

"You did great under pressure, I must say," said Marion with pride, "If Fantina is right, you must have sleeves the size of the Tohjo Area. And your Lopunny lasted better against my Flygon than I expected. You must have trained her very well."

"Well, I try," laughed Alyssandra, "Sam's helped me a lot, so has Niya. And I did watch my sister raise her Lopunny before she became Champion. I've watched and learned, you know?"

Marion nodded, and the two quickly returned to back stage.

Unfortunately, contest rules did not permit them leaving the backstage area until the end of the Battle Portion; at least, victors were not permitted to leave.

A very busy attendant passed by like a broom, and swept Marion away from backstage like she was dust being swept into a dustpan, leaving Alyssandra to face her next battle alone.

"I can't believe it, another win!" shrieked Alyssandra as Sam examined the ribbon before passing it on to Niya, who beamed with pride at her student.

Valentina was happy too, and Jeremy and Pikachu were giving Alyssandra their congratulations. Even Fantina and Drasna were cheering on the newly appointed victor of the Hearthome City Pokémon Contest.

Marion, who had celebrated with Alyssandra just a few moments before, had left. Gone off to fulfil a promised meeting with someone important. She didn't say whom, but it was important enough to leave a celebration for Alyssandra's third contest victory—and the way the group threw celebration parties, they were not events to miss.

But, even with the loss of Marion—much to Alyssandra's regret—Fantina, Valentina and Drasna would be enough to make the party even better than just four teens and a Pikachu.

Lopunny was exhausted; the first battle it had fought wore it out, and the other three just made it worse.

Even with medicinal remedies and resting periods between fights, it was still worn out and was already on its way to the Pokémon Centre with Nurse Joy.

"Congratulations, Alyssandra. You truly deserved that vin!" said Fantina with verve, "I knew I vas right about your talent, and my niece vas right too!"

"Way to go sis," added Valentina as she rustled her hand through Alyssandra's hair, "I knew you and I could pull together a decent appeal, and you obviously get your battling skills from me."

Jeremy came next with his congratulations. "You did great Lyss! The way you took out that Rhyhorn in that last match with your Lopunny's Ice Beam!" said Jeremy, as if reliving it before his eyes, "I didn't think you would make it after everything Lopunny went through, but you did it, and I'm glad!"

"Pika! Pi-Pikachu! Pikaaaa!" added Pikachu, munching, once more, on an Oran Berry it had stolen from Valentina's pouch, much to Jeremy's displeasure.

"Congratulations Lyss! I knew you could do it!" said Niya, hugging her best friend closely, "Three down, two more to go! And I have so much more to teach you!"

Alyssandra smiled, happy with her new win, and hopefully two more on the way. "And you Sam? Don't you have anything to say?" said Drasna with a raised eyebrow patting Alyssandra on the back.

Sam rolled his eyes and walked forward to hug Alyssandra. "Congrats, Lyss, you were amazing," said Sam sincerely, "Truly, even I couldn't have pulled off a battle like that."

"Don't say that my boy! Don't put down your skills!" said Aurelio, appearing behind Alyssandra suddenly, "And while we're on the subject of skills, do your ancestry a favour and kiss the girl! Make the move! Ask her out!"

Sam wanted to speak to his grandfather, or at least sigh deeply, but he held back until later, but his mind was full of thoughts.

"You really think so, Sam?" asked Alyssandra, pulling out of the hug.

Sam nodded, but Valentina put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, don't go putting your skills to shame," she smirked, "You're good too. I'm sure you're both just as capable as we saw Lyss was today. Besides, if you're going to compete in the Hearthome Battle Tournament tomorrow, you'll need confidence!"

"Wait, Sam, you're actually competing in that?" asked Jeremy, confused at Sam's sudden participation.

"I—wait, no, I never signed up. What do you mean?" he asked, just as confused as Jeremy.

"Well, I know you were thinking about it, and Palmer told me he suggested it to you, so I sort of just pushed you into the pool a bit," shrugged Valentina nonchalantly, "I signed you up myself—so you better show up. I'm putting my word on the line, and if you're a no-show I'll punch you!"

Aurelio let out a hefty chuckle. "You had better listen to her Sam, she's feisty," he smiled, "Even more so than I remember. Besides, the Hearthome Battle Tournament is worth it—especially if Palmer is going to be there. He's always there, usually chasing Cynthia…poor boy. He never knew what he had until he lost it…"

Aurelio disappeared again, and Sam was left wondering what his grandfather had meant. But he said nothing and made sure to make a note to bring it back up again later with his grandfather when they were alone.

"All right…fine, I'll join," agreed Sam, "Besides, I could use some battle practice if I'm going to beat Maylene and Wake!"

Fantina raised an eyebrow at Sam, and the two remembered their conversation.

Sam smiled at Fantina, and the tall woman chuckled. "You smile like your uncle," she noted, her mind now off in thought, "You have his smile, exactly how his is."

"Thank you," nodded Sam amiably, "Now, I have one condition before I join. I want the rest of you to join me. If I'm going to get some battle practice, so should the rest of you."

Everyone looked at Sam blankly, suddenly put on the spot as they realized the tables had been turned—craftily as well—by Sam.

"I'm glad you say that Sam," smiled Valentina, playing along with him, though very serious as well, "Because I signed everyone else up too. Now, how about we go get some food to celebrate Lyss' victory?"

No one had time to argue or complain about being dragged into the tournament as well as Valentina ran off down the street towards the nearest restaurant that interested her.

Pikachu was the next to follow her, knowing that wherever Valentina was, so were Oran Berries.

Jeremy went after Pikachu, while Alyssandra and Niya went after Valentina.

Sam followed suit in order to catch up with his friends. Leaving only Drasna and Fantina standing there.

The mother and daughter looked at each other a smiled, and walked down the street casually, not bothering to run. They would get there when they got there, and there was no rush.

Sam reclined on the park bench, the crickets chirping around him and the moonlight peeking through the clouds. Across from him sat the ghost of his grandfather, the two laughing as Sam told him the story of his life since Aurelio's passing.

"So, you're telling me you actually had a battle in a cave?" chuckled Aurelio as he rubbed his eyebrow, "You're my grandson all right. Goodness, I should've left you with your grandmother more when you were a kid."

Sam smiled. "You were a great influence," said Sam happily, "You know, if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be this great at battling."

"I didn't teach you much, you know. Everything you've accomplished, that's all you," smiled Aurelio, as he looked hard at his grandson, so proud of what he had accomplished in the years since his passing, how far he had come from the little child who refused to leave home.

"Has Palmer offered to train you yet?" asked Aurelio again.

Sam shook his head. "Not yet, but even if he did…I don't know what I'd say," replied Sam after some serious thought.

Truthfully, he had always dreamed about it, hoped for it, but Sam knew that if it ever happened, he would say no until he had seen the whole world with his friends. He would wait until he and Lyss had tied the knot—if that ever happened—and when Sam was finally ready to leave communication and civilization behind for a long time, to train with his mentor and hero he would go.

"I see. Well that's to be expected I guess," chuckled Aurelio once more, stroking his moustache, "You always did hate travelling."

"Not anymore!" said Sam defensively, "It's just…there's…you know, things I want to do first. That's all."

Aurelio raised an eyebrow with a smirk, giving his grandson a sideways glance like he knew something Sam didn't.

"What?" asked Sam, avoiding eye contact, "What do you want?"

Aurelio just continued his coy grin. "You know," he said nudging Sam, "It's Alyssandra, isn't it?"

"I just…" started Sam, "I'm not giving that an answer!"

Aurelio laughed heartily, and Sam's cheeks flushed red with embarrassment. "Oh, just tell the girl you love her and get it out the way. It's not that hard!"

"Yes, it is!" said Sam, standing up and walking over the nearby railing where the creek ran by. It trickled gently over the many rocks and stones, while fish jumped up into the moonlight, breaking the gentle surface of the stream.

"I asked Nancy to marry me after we knew each other for six months," said Aurelio, "If I can do that, you can pull off asking Alyssandra to go steady after knowing each other your whole lives!"

"It's not that easy though, grandfather," said Sam gently, looking into the stream again, "Every time I look at her, I look into her big, beautiful brown eyes and my knees go weak. And she smiles at me, with her pretty smile, and looks at me with those eyes and…my mouth can't talk. And then there's her, gentle, smooth skin…her kind, soothing voice…her long brown hair; and you know those times when she gets mad, she gets this fire in her eyes and it's just…it's beautiful."

Aurelio stood up, his hands in his pockets, his black trench coat flowing behind him. He stood beside his grandson, the two looking up at the sky. For a time, they said nothing.

Sam just smiled at the stars, Alyssandra going through his mind, while Aurelio looked at his half-grown grandson.

"You've got it bad my boy," he said seriously, "You're in love, and I think Alyssandra is the one for you. All you've got to do is make your move, and I think you'll be okay. Don't worry about being scared or getting nervous. You and Alyssandra, I believe, are truly meant to be together, and when love is real, it finds a way."

Aurelio looked at his grandson, tears welling in his eyes. It was just a gentle glisten, but there were tears nonetheless. Tears for his grandson, and how much he had grown. How he was slowly becoming a man that Aurelio was proud of every day, and tears for the fact that Aurelio had a chance to appear before Sam again and guide him through life as he had always hoped.

Aurelio was happier now than even the day Sam was born; this was the pride of a parent for their child.

"And how do you expect me to do that?" asked Sam, turning to his grandfather for an answer, but he got none, as Sam had noticed when he turned around.

His grandfather had disappeared and was no longer standing there beside him.

Sam laughed a bit, though it was painful laughter. Just when he and his grandfather were making progress, he left again, and this wasn't something Sam blamed his grandfather for.

If anything, Sam blamed fate, but it was something Sam would have to live with nonetheless, and something he lived with for the past seven years.

But at least he had his friends, and at least he had Alyssandra, and were it not for them Sam knew he would not have made it as far in life as he did.


	44. 42 - The Hearthome Battle Tournament

~ Chapter 42 ~

The Hearthome Battle Tournament Begins!

" _The Hearthome City Battle Tournament was the talk of the town. It was the biggest thing in the capital. People from all over the Sinnoh Region came to participate or watch it. Thousands more came to be part of the festival. Everyone dressed in traditional robes. There were performers and dancers from the Johto Region, and all the other regions. Kimono girls, Geisha girls, fried squid on a stick, and other deep-fried foods—anyway, that's not quite the point. I competed in the tournament...boy was I in for a surprise. I never thought I'd go down so fast; at least I didn't go down easy. These were the best Trainers in the known world, mainly from Sinnoh. I didn't stand a chance…but I sure learned a lot, and I had a lot of good teachers helping me learn even more."_

"I must admit, you look pretty good in a yukata," laughed Niya as she looked over Jeremy.

He and Pikachu were both dressed in yukata, just like everyone else going to the festival. The girls were dolled up in fancy red kimono with their hair all done up with pins, combs, and flowers in it.

Their faces were even painted white, their cheeks blushed, their lips dolled up and fans tucked into their obi.

"I like how Sam completes the look with his haori," said Alyssandra as she looked over her friend, "He looks almost like a samurai."

"Samurai wore hakama as well, plus I lack the wakizashi and the katana," smirked Sam.

Niya rolled her eyes as the group walked out of their room and down the hallway to the elevator. "Oh, I forgot, you like history," she groaned, "I remember when you used to go off to the library as a kid and spend hours reading history books. You'd come home thinking you were a samurai."

Alyssandra giggled, and even Pikachu let out a laugh.

Sam looked away, blushing a bit as he remembered that and other embarrassing things he did as a child.

"Well, he used to protect us with that wooden sword of us," added Alyssandra, trying to support Sam.

"Yeah, with that bokken at his side all the time, no one ever wanted to come near us and 'the weird kid with a stick'," retorted Niya, holding back laughter as she remembered.

Sam rolled his eyes and the group headed down the elevator and into the lobby.

Valentina wasn't going to be able to meet them until much later today. As League Champion she needed to host the tournament, as well keep an eye on the festival as a whole. Even with Cynthia's help, it was a big job.

Fantina too was preoccupied with ensuring everything went smoothly. She was the Gym Leader of Hearthome City, and it was her job to take care of the entire city, if anything went wrong it would be partly her fault.

Drasna had also left, preparing to return to the Johto Region to continue her mentorship under Claire. Which left the group alone, once more, just the five of them. Sam, Jeremy, Niya, Alyssandra and Pikachu.

"We can't even call home," sighed Jeremy, "I mean, I could call my family. But Palmer, Professor Rowan and Sam's grandmother are still away on their trip to the Hoenn Region."

"We've gone without calling them before. Remember the trip from Floaroma to Eterna?" said Niya.

It was one of the longest trips they'd ever made. Then again, with all the delays, it was no surprise. Sam was unconscious half the time, Alyssandra was dragged off to Eterna Forest and left alone for quite a while, and Niya and Jeremy weren't able to move on or look for her without Sam at least mostly recovered.

"Do you want to call your mom?" asked Sam, more than willing to let Jeremy have the time to do so, but Jeremy shrugged.

"I spoke to her last night. It's fine," he said simply.

"Pikaaaaa," said Pikachu softly as he dashed from Jeremy's shoulder and looked out the window like a child watching candy be made. Pikachu was absorbed with the sights of the festival; it was truly amazing.

The streets were packed with people in traditional clothes of the Tohjo and Hoenn Regions. Booths draped in lanterns were set up everywhere, selling wares, food and showing the loudest and most colourful of carnival games.

"I don't get why we wear the traditional clothes of the Tohjo and Hoenn Regions," wondered Jeremy, "Nobunaga, Hideyoshi and Tokugawa only got as far western Sinnoh, stopping at Mount Coronet and not even bothering to go as far as Floaroma or Eterna. And Tokugawa didn't hold that land for long, once the peoples of eastern Sinnoh crossed over the mountain and took the land for themselves."

"It's a sign of good faith. The unifiers of the Four Region Area placed a lot of settlers in ancient Jubilife, Canalave, Sandgem and Twinleaf," explained Sam, "Those settlers mixed with the native peoples, and the cultures mixed. Even after the unifiers pulled out, the fusion of two cultures held on to semblances of both and an entirely new culture was born by mixing the two. It's quite interesting really."

"You've got him started again, congratulations," groaned Niya with an eye roll, not wanting another history lesson.

Sam stuck his tongue out at her, and the group stepped out into the bustling street and entered the world of the Hearthome Summer Festival.

They had two hours until the start of the Tournament, which was located in the Hearthome Battle Arena, with opening and closing ceremonies daily in front of the Hearthome Cathedral. The Cathedral was a massive bastion dedicated to the Legendary Pokémon that created the Sinnoh Region, and supposedly most of the world and universe.

But for now, the group was going to enjoy the sights and sounds, as well as the food and the games.

They used to have a small matsuri several times a year in Twinleaf Town at key points in the year, around summer and fall, often accompanied by fireworks. These festivals were the talk of the town for many days prior to and after the festival, especially amongst the kids.

They were nowhere near as big as the Hearthome Summer Festival, with nowhere near as many attendees, causing the group to be even more drawn into the event.

"Where should we start?" asked Alyssandra, looking around at all the attractions, "We've got the whole day until four, when the entrance rounds begin."

"I say we go look for all the food," exclaimed Sam with excitement. His favourite part of the matsuri was always the food, usually fried; though not always.

His personal favourite was the konpeitō.

"You're just going to run off and grab some takoyaki and ikayaki aren't you?" said Niya, her eyebrow raised.

"Don't forget the yakisoba, yakiniku, okonomiyaki, jyagabata, grilled corn, banana on a stick and dango. Mmmm, and the konpeitō, I love konpeitō!" added Sam, near drooling.

" _You_ got him started this time," joked Jeremy, his attention going towards some of the carnival games. "Goldfish scooping, huh?" Jeremy continued, his attention now fully gone.

"Oh, come on, Niya, like you don't want to go out and find some mochi, you love the stuff!" Sam pointed out to which Niya couldn't deny; only responding with a sly smile.

"I say we just split up and go do whatever we want until the Hearthome Battle Contest begins," suggested Sam, "We should meet up every three hours in front of this Pokémon Centre here, just in case."

"Just don't end up in a gambling house, all right Jeremy?" said Niya, strictly but in a friendly tone, "Same goes for you Sam. Most of all don't end up in one together."

Sam sighed, as did Jeremy, but the two agreed and nodded compliantly. Everyone agreed, and within moments, they had all gone off their own ways.

Except for Alyssandra, who stayed beside Sam, insisting the two travelled through the city together; and so, they did.

Together, Sam and Alyssandra went from booth to booth, playing games that ranged from scooping goldfish or floating plastic balls from tanks of water, to shooting targets with elastics and pellet guns to win prizes.

Sam managed to win Alyssandra a stuffed Mew doll, and the two even enjoyed several of the festival foods, with Sam happily getting copious amounts of konpeitō. All within the span of a few hours.

"There's so much to do!" said Alyssandra over some street performers and taiko drummers a street over.

"I know, it's so much different from the matsuri we used to go to in Sandgem and Twinleaf as kids," agreed Sam.

"It's even bigger than the one we went to a few years ago in Veilstone City," added Alyssandra, remembering the vacation well.

"So, what do you want to do next?" asked Sam, his eyes going towards the mask salesman a few stalls down.

"Shall we go see the masks?" smiled Alyssandra, noticing Sam's attention wavering.

Sam nodded, and the two ran off down the street towards the stall.

It was a strange looking stall, with walls of masks on three of the four sides. Masks of Pokémon, of historical figures, yōkai, and things Sam had never seen before.

There were blue fish-looking creature, with fins at the side of its head, and a pointy nose.

There were orange human-like creatures, with white beards and tufts of hair, and large rocky teeth.

There were even small plant creatures with a three-leafed twig on its head, and a small circular mouth.

But one mask in particular drew Sam's attention. As soon as he locked eyes with it he couldn't look away. It was heart-shaped, with no mouth, and four spikes on each side and two sticking out of the top like horns. Its eyes were large, orange, and circular with black dots for pupils. The masked was painted in hues of purple, blue, red, and orange.

Its stare was crippling and mesmerizing, making Sam want to reach out and grab it, but it was hanging high above all the other masks, farthest from the crowd.

"Can I help you?" said a high, yet cheery voice.

Sam looked up and almost jumped in shock as he saw an ever-smiling face, with neatly kempt and parted hair, yellowish skin, pointed features and small teeth—and the weirdest thing of all were his pointed ears.

The man also wore a blue shirt, and blue pants and pointed blue shoes, over that entire outfit he wore a long, blue cloak with a gold mantle around his neck and shoulders.

"W-who are you?" asked Sam, a little weirded out by this guy who seemed to come out of nowhere.

"Me? My name is not important," chuckled the man, his hands clasped tightly together in front of him, his head and upper body bobbing up and down slightly as he looked at Sam, "You may call me the Happy Mask Salesman, and this is my Happy Mask Shop!"

"Happy Mask Salesman?" asked Alyssandra, sceptical of this man.

The man stood up right, or more, he seemed to become upright, as it did not appear that he moved at all between the two stances; it was quite unnerving.

"Yes, the Happy Mask Salesman!" exclaimed the man, "My job is to travel the globe and bring everyone happiness by selling them masks!"

"That's funny, I've never seen you at any of the other matsuri," stated Sam, "They may not be as big, but surely you could bring some happiness to a smaller town no?"

The Happy Mask Salesman only paused, still smiling, and bobbing away, only now he became hunched over the table of his wares once more. Looking with more attention, Sam could see a notoriously large backpack on his back, decorated with a variety of masks Sam had never seen before.

"I only come to the Hearthome matsuri," explained the Mask Salesman, "It is such a large world after all, and if I am to travel to the most places and bring the most joy to the most people, I must go to the largest of the matsuri! I cannot be everywhere at once…can I?"

"He's got a point. All the other matsuri happen in the fall," stated Alyssandra, "And there are much larger ones in the Tohjo Region. More people attending means more people to make happy."

"Ah, the girl seems to understand me!" he cried, "With a world this large, I must cater to the largest audiences in order to make the most people happy."

"How big can this world be?" wondered Sam, "Five Regions? Six if you count Orre. Maybe a few other countries scattered here and there in between. But even if there were more we'd probably have found them by now anyway."

The Happy Mask Salesman paused, and froze, a frown covering his face. "My child, you are young, and so I cannot expect you to understand how large this world is," he said simply, before returning to his usually happy composure.

This man confused Sam, but he felt that if he pressed the manner further, the man would only complicate things further, or worse, maybe open his ever-smiling eyes, and so Sam remained quiet.

"Well, as long as you're here making people happy," said Alyssandra, changing the topic tactfully, "I'd like to buy a mask for my friend here."

"What? Lyss, you don't have to," protested Sam, though Lyss would hear none of it.

She silenced him with the raising of her hand. "Now, now. You won me this Mew doll. So now I'll get you a mask; then we're even," she stated dutifully.

Turning back to the Mask Salesman, the man, now smiling even wider, asked her which mask she wanted, moving his hands over all of his wares in an inviting way.

"I want that one, please," said Alyssandra, pointing to the one on the back wall, in the middle column of the highest row, the one that Sam had been fixated on as they approached.

The Happy Mask Salesman turned to see the mask she meant, and gasped as he realized. He turned around to Alyssandra, frantically and in a panic. "You do not want that mask! No, what I meant is, you CANNOT _have_ that mask!" he proclaimed fervently and fiercely.

"Is it money? It's probably really expensive," stated Alyssandra, "Sam could I borrow a bit? I'm sorry to do this to you, but I know it would go so well with your oni mask collection!"

"Sure," said Sam reached inside of his robes for his wallet.

The Happy Mask Salesman leaned over the table, bobbing like a ball in a rough ocean.

Alyssandra hadn't seen him bob this much since they arrived.

"You _cannot_ HAVE that mask!" he seethed; his eyes had opened, becoming diamond shaped openings that seemed to look into your soul.

Sam and Alyssandra jumped back as they opened, like some sort of beam had been shot at them. Those eyes, that angry look, coupled with the fact that he just became poses, not moving, only appearing in them, like frames of a movie were cut out; terrified them.

"If the mask isn't for sale, why is it on display?" asked Alyssandra, frowning a bit in disappointment.

"Because…it is a collector's item. I have it on display for the benefit of the public," explained the Happy Mask Salesman, returning to his pleasant disposition, "I went through great lengths to get that mask, and a young man went through greater to get it back from a thief for me. I dare not let it out of my hands again."

"Are you sure we can't change your mind?" asked Alyssandra, trying one more time to strike a deal.

"No, not at all! This mask has caused enough trouble in people's lives," said the Mask Salesman fiercely, "I implore you, beg for any other mask and I shall give it to you for free! You are such nice children, and I would love to make you happy; but you cannot have that mask up there!"

"Well, all right I guess. Sorry we didn't know about the mask," said Alyssandra, finally giving into the Happy Mask Salesman's eccentricities, mostly because she was afraid he would open his eyes again.

"So, Sam, what'll it be? The crow tengu or the iwami-hannya with all that hair?" asked Alyssandra as she pointed to the two masks.

"Take them both, children!" exclaimed the Happy Mask Salesman, suddenly appearing with both masks in hand, not moving or reaching or turning to get them, "If that's what makes you happy!"

"Uh, thanks," said Sam, a little creeped out by the man, but thankful for him, "How much?"

"Nothing!" exclaimed the merchant happily, "I am not here to make a profit—I am here to make people happy."

He beamed so wide Sam thought his face was going to rip apart under stress. "But, I mean, I saw someone paying before we got here," stated Sam, going for his wallet, much to the protest for Alyssandra, "I must owe you something."

"It's nothing! Really, I am here to make you happy, now take the masks and go!" cried the mask salesman.

Sam and Alyssandra couldn't resist at this point, they had no choice but to accept the mask salesman's kind offer. If anything, due to the fear they had he would open his eyes again.

The Happy Mask Salesman's swiftly wrapped the masks, with the care and gentility one would use to handle an infant before finally handing them to Alyssandra.

"Take care of them," he said, with full seriousness.

Sam and Alyssandra nodded, not entirely sure of what the mask salesman meant, though more than willing to say whatever it took to leave sooner than later.

Alyssandra slipped the masks into her shoulder bag, which she brought with her just in case, and the two continued off down the street of stalls and jubilation.

"What an odd man," said Alyssandra as soon as they turned the corner.

Sam nodded. "I've never heard of him before," he stated, "And someone with a collection of masks like his? You think he'd be all over the news or in newspapers that talk about different matsuri everywhere."

"What bugs me is what he said about the world, about how big it is," said Alyssandra, looking up into the sky, "What do you think he meant? Do you think there's stuff out there we don't know about?"

Sam shook his head. "I don't know, but I doubt it," he said with certainty, "We'd have found it by now, wouldn't we? I mean, we found the Orre and Unova Regions, and that's a far way away from the Four Region area. There's the country that Niya and her family comes from too, but that's a small little country out in the middle of the ocean. We would have found other lands on the way, or by satellites, or other stuff…wouldn't we?"

Neither of them said another word after that. They just continued walking down the streets, stopping a few times for food.

"What time is it?" asked Alyssandra, biting into her dango.

Sam looked at his Pokétch after popping a konpeitō in his mouth and sucked on it a bit before responding.

"We need to meet up with the others soon for the first check in," stated Sam as he went for another konpeitō.

Alyssandra nodded, and the two walked off down the streets back towards their designated meeting place in front of the Pokémon Centre.

Much to their surprise, they were the last ones to arrive, with Jeremy and Niya standing there, waiting for them. "Where'd you two run off to?" smirked Niya as she saw her friends arrive.

"We went to food stalls and played games," explained Sam, popping yet another konpeitō in his mouth, "And I found konpeitō. We also grabbed some oni masks to add to my collection."

"Do you really need more of those?" frowned Jeremy, "Your entire wall is covered with them."

Niya nodded. "And you're a bit too old to scare us to death with them," she added, "Though, the masks do a pretty good job of freaking people out on their own."

"Baby," joked Sam with a chuckle, "They're not so bad. Besides it was my grandfather's collection first, he just passed it on to me when I was younger."

"Your grandmother thought they were creepy too, remember? Even when your grandfather was alive," pointed out Niya, "She would never let them in her room, or your room. She made him keep them in the basement until you started collecting them."

Sam just shrugged, though Alyssandra still felt the need to come to his defence. "I don't think it's so bad. We all need our hobbies, right?" she smirked, giving Sam a sideways look and a smile.

"Well, should we split up again?" asked Jeremy, trying to change the topic.

Everyone nodded, now that they were sure everyone else was okay.

"I'm going off to go see the stage performers," said Niya, "Want to come Lyss? I think you would enjoy the dancing Kimono Girls; they're all the way from the Johto Region, and there are ten of them this year!"

"Ten? Why so many?"" wondered Alyssandra allowed, "There's always been five in the group."

"Well apparently there's always been ten," explained Niya as the two walked off down the street, engaged in conversation, "But they've only ever shown five at a time. There are five girls in one performance at a time, and they're divided into two groups. One set of five girls is known as the Silver Troupe, and they have much more silver in their hair ornaments and in the colours of their robes, while the other group, the Golden Troupe, has much more gold decoration."

The rest of their conversation was lost in the crowd as the two girls disappeared down a nearby alleyway never to be seen again—or for the next few hours at least.

"Well they're gone," said Jeremy blatantly, "Want to go challenge each other in some friendly competitions?"

"You mean see who's better at each carnival game?" smirked Sam, knowing exactly where Jeremy was going with this.

Jeremy shrugged, though he gave a sly smile, and pointed to the nearest game stall, which was shooting targets with elastic bands.

"What's the score up till now?" asked Sam as the two approached the stall.

"One hundred for me, ninety-nine for you," said Jeremy.

"Time for me to regain my honour then," responded Sam, as the two picked up their elastic band guns and aimed at the targets. There was nothing better than a friendly competition with Jeremy; they were brothers, best friends, but they were also eternal rivals—somebody had to challenge the other to be the best, right?

"You two have been competing again, haven't you?" said Niya, hands on her hips as she saw Sam and Jeremy with bags of prizes and pleasantly fed looks on their faces.

Even Pikachu looked like it had eaten too much, and was lying lethargically in Jeremy's robes, causing a bulge where Jeremy's stomach was, his tail poking out of the folds.

"By the looks of it, once you got bored of games, you went on to eating contests, huh?" smirked Niya further.

Sam hiccupped. "I won!" he cheered, "I ate the most of everything, and I beat Jeremy at more games than he beat me at!" "I'll get you next time, just you wait," laughed Jeremy, to which Sam also laughed.

Alyssandra and Niya just sighed, glad that the two boys hadn't ended up fighting again because of their competitions.

"You know this is why we don't let you guys near gambling houses or Game Corners, right?" said Niya, making mention to that one time at the Veilstone Game Corner, "You're just too competitive."

"Hey, we never went near one of those today," said Jeremy defensively, "We learned our lesson. Besides, I've got not money to gamble with. Sam would win by default."

"Well, you better stay focused, because the opening ceremony is about to start, and after that it's the preliminary rounds," said Alyssandra with warning.

After Jeremy and Sam placed their winnings back in their rooms at the Pokémon Centre, the four of them gathered around by the stage, getting there just in time, as thousands more people appeared around them, crowding around the stage in order to see Valentina and Cynthia open up the ceremony.

It was another five or ten minutes before the microphones buzzed through massive speakers on either side of the stage. The stage was set up on the dais in front the great oak doors of the Hearthome Cathedral.

Valentina and Cynthia stepped out of the magnificently ornate building to the roaring cheers of the crowd. Their presence was enough to shake the entire city; Sam couldn't wait to get the same kind of treatment when he became Champion.

"Good afternoon Hearthome City!" yelled Valentina, getting the crowed even more worked up.

Cynthia was quiet, but she smiled nonetheless, and her presence was still as magnificent.

"So, as you've guessed by now, we're here to open up the preliminary rounds of the Hearthome City Battle Tournament," continued Valentina.

"That's right, Valentina, and we can't wait to get started," added Cynthia, "Because this year we've got the largest turn out ever. We've got at least one hundred twenty participants in the preliminary rounds this year."

There was another roar from the crowd, but the girls continued once they'd settled down.

"With this many people, it will be hard to hold all the matches in a single arena," said Cynthia, "So we've decided to come up with a solution to that."

Valentina pointed to the back, and everyone could see, from there, a whole bunch of bleachers raised up above what could only be battlefields.

"We've decided to set up four battlefields right behind the Cathedral," revealed Valentina, "Four matches will occur simultaneously, three on three, and hopefully we can cut the participants in half by the end of the day! Because, as you all know, only the best of the best can move on."

Sam looked at Jeremy, Niya and Alyssandra, a smile came to his face. He knew they were guaranteed a way through. They were good, him and his friends, nothing could stop them.

"Now in order to assure that we get the most battling out of today, I would like all competitors to please follow me out back, so we can bring you to the underground waiting room," explained Cynthia gently, "We'll take your names, give you a number, and we'll start the matches."

"As for you excited, wonderful spectators, we'll get you up into the stands once all of the competitors are down below," continued Valentina, "Cynthia if you'll please."

And with that, the large crowd of competitors followed Cynthia down towards the back of the Cathedral.

It was a long and magnificent building, and its stained-glass windows and stone work were a marvel to behold. Sam thought it was unfortunate that they didn't have the proper time to visit and admire it.

The massive crowd was led below the massive stadium set up behind the church, down a metal ramp into a dug-out area. It was large, held up with pillars, with a high ceiling and several benches and tables set up across the area.

Sam hugged the nearest wall and waited for his friends to return as they had been separated by the throngs of people on the way down here.

"This used to be a food and weapons store hundreds of years ago," explained Niya, appearing out of nowhere, "I remember when my aunt took me on a tour of the Cathedral and its grounds. The lord of this city kept this cache in case his city was besieged. He also had a network of tunnels set up that stretched to all other cities in Eastern Sinnoh. That way, no matter which city he was allied with, he had a way of getting his citizens to safety in times of emergency and a way of feeding them and supplying his soldiers in prolonged sieges."

"He seems like a man who covered all of his bases," said Sam, amazed at how well thought out this lord's contingency plans were, "I guess that's why he was able to unify all of Sinnoh."

"Yup," said Niya, "And that's another reason he made the capital of Sinnoh Hearthome City. It was best fortified and was in the middle of the whole region. It was guarded by Mt. Coronet to the west, and hundreds of kilometres of forest all around. The nearest port town was far enough away that he would be able to give his soldiers enough time to prepare for siege, battle and anything else."

"Smart man," noted Sam, remembering all the history lessons he took in Pokémon School. Sinnoh history had interested him, but not as much as Tohjo history.

"The lord's summer palace eventually became headquarters of the Sinnoh League and home to the Champion and Elite Four," stated Sam, remembering a bit more from his past, "And that's how the government ended up moving there."

"Very good. You know your history well," said a smooth, silky voice from behind Sam and Niya.

The two of them turned around to see Cynthia standing with Jeremy and Alyssandra, and their jaws dropped.

"I-I uh," stammered Sam, "Hi."

Niya couldn't say anything.

Jeremy laughed at his two friends, patting them on the backs. "Don't worry, it wears off," he smiled.

"So, you're Sam huh?" said Cynthia, one hand on her hip, but a smile on her face. She looked over Sam, examining him like she was looking at his whole life. "Valentina mentioned you'd be here," she continued, "It's nice to meet you."

Cynthia extended her hand, and Sam shook his gratefully. "Though I must say I've heard a lot about you from my former teacher and my old friend," said Cynthia, sitting on a nearby bench, folding one leg over the other and reclining back, leaning on her arms, "I hope you're as good as they say—I mean, Valentina went as far to vouch for your entry in this tournament."

"I can assure you Sam is good," said Niya, "I trained him myself. He's cunning, strategic, and inventive when it comes to strategy."

"I've heard. Rowan and Palmer said the same," noted Cynthia.

"You know Professor Rowan and Palmer?" asked Jeremy in amazement.

"Of course, I do," chuckled Cynthia gently, "Who do you think my teacher and old friend are?"

Everyone except Sam—who already knew most of the story—waited with baited breath, fearing questions might hinder an explanation. Something in learning about the pasts of Palmer and Professor Rowan and how they knew Cynthia intrigued them.

"I suppose I should start from the beginning," said Cynthia, giving a kind smile to Sam and his friends, "Sit down, this might take a while—don't worry about getting your numbers, you're down towards the bottom of the list because of your last-minute signup."

Everyone took a seat on the bench, sitting on either side of the ex-League Champion.

"It all started when we were children, you see," explained Cynthia as she looked up the ceiling, remembering her life, "We grew up in Twinleaf Town, and were life-long friends, Palmer and I. Once we had both turned ten, we travelled to Sandgem Town to meet Professor Rowan and get our first Pokémon. On the way there, we stopped by Lake Verity, just to see the lake where we had met one last time. While we were there, we saw none other than Aurelio and Professor Rowan battling each other by the lakeside."

Sam had heard that part of the story from his grandparents, Professor Rowan himself and even from Palmer. That fight was legendary for so many people, even though it wasn't the last serious battle Aurelio and Rowan had had.

"I remember that battle," smiled Aurelio, appearing behind the bench where everyone sat, "Rowan would have won that battle if he hadn't sent his Luxray out in the second round."

It took every fibre of Sam's being not to jump or scream from being startled, and even more not to put his head in his hands and sigh loudly.

"Palmer and I were mesmerized by how well these two men fought, and so we begged them to train us," continued Cynthia.

"Ah yes, I remember that too. Young, bright-eyed kids, wandering up to perfect strangers and asking us to teach them," stated Aurelio, a smile on his face and a nostalgic look in his eye, "They certainly had guts and initiative."

"At first, they were reluctant; or at least Rowan was, but Aurelio managed to convince him and soon Palmer and I had our mentors," continued Cynthia a big smile on her face, the biggest the group had seen yet, "Professor Rowan taught me, and Palmer got Aurelio.

"We travelled throughout the Sinnoh Region, and Aurelio and Rowan would show up when we needed them, and Palmer and I were taught everything our teachers could think of. It all accumulated at the Sinnoh League, where Palmer and I battled our hearts out in hopes we could defeat the League Champion…it didn't happen, and we lost halfway through," Cynthia paused, as if lost in thought.

Everyone waited for her to continue, but the weight of her pause told everyone to respect it. "Palmer became a hermit for much of his life afterwards," continued Cynthia slowly, "He spent years training in what's now the Battle Zone and spent years training with Aurelio in Aurelio's home region. Every once and a while, in between his travels, he'd pop into my life for a bit. I almost thought he was going to stay once…but he left and travelled across the world for six years, trying to get stronger."

Aurelio looked sadly down at Cynthia from behind. "Ah yes," he said simply, "Palmer always was the restless type…and many of the people he loved suffered for it."

"When he came back he opened the Battle Frontier Franchise, purchasing the Battle Zone for almost nothing, and building the first location there," explained Cynthia, her upbeat and gentle tone returning, "While he was gone, I became the Sinnoh League Champion. I don't know why I returned to challenge the League, but I suppose Palmer…inspired me. It was then I met, and defeated, Adelaida De Oliveira; a life-long friend of mine ever since."

"My grandmother!" exclaimed Jeremy as he recognized the name, his jump almost knocked Pikachu off of its comfortable perch on Jeremy's shoulder, "That's right, she used to be the League Champion before you."

Cynthia nodded. "She was. After I defeated her she moved to the Battle Zone, somewhere near Stark Mountain," explained Cynthia, "Where she enjoys a long and happy retirement."

"She was a scary old woman," noted Aurelio with a seriousness that almost made Sam snort with laughter, "I remember when she used to simply be a member of the Elite Four, back when I was young. Even then no one wanted to cross her, and she was our age! I thought me and Rowan's run at the Elite Four was going to be ended by her."

"Well, after that I was Champion, and I stayed that way for many years until Valentina came and dethroned me," smiled Cynthia as she remembered the moment she lost the fated battle; her arms crossed, "As for Palmer, he'd drop by every so often, when he wasn't in the Johto Region and come try and win my affection—still does, actually. But I keep turning him down. I'm surprised he's not here this year, he usually takes this festival as a chance to come visit me."

"Palmer seems dedicated to loving you," noted Sam, drawing a raised eyebrow from the former Champion.

"You would know him better than I," she smirked, though not unkindly, "To be honest, usually he is."

"He's with my grandmother and Professor Rowan this year," replied Sam, "They went to the Hoenn Region. My grandfather's cousin died, and they've all gone to the funeral."

"Is that so?" wondered Cynthia aloud, a bit confused, but not overly suspicious, "Well, I suppose that's a good a reason as any. I don't blame him."

Sam looked over at Aurelio, now standing beside Cynthia. He too, looked confused, and was muttering something to himself, but whatever it is that was on the minds of these two, Sam was sure he would never find out.

Though if he had any chance, he would have to grill his grandfather for information later, not that Sam expected to find much.

Secrets seemed to be normal amongst adults in his life. It was something Sam had grown accustomed to.

"Did he send you as a messenger?" chuckled Cynthia who was now playing with Pikachu, scratching the Pokémon between his ears.

Sam shook his head, and Cynthia gave a partial frown. Sam could only guess she enjoyed her back and forth with Palmer, even if she was destined to always turn him down.

"Well, I suppose I had best leave you four to your preparing," smiled Cynthia, "You four are numbers one hundred sixteen through to one hundred twenty."

And with that, Cynthia was gone, leaving the group up to deciding who got which number.

Once that was settled, the four teens sat down on the bench, quietly waiting for their time to battle.

Sam, however, was not content with sitting for very long, and gave the excuse that he wanted to poke around the historical storehouse. Though in truth, Sam wanted to speak with his grandfather.

Once Sam was sure that he was out of earshot of anyone he ducked around a corner that led down a dark hallway that went who knows where.

"Grandfather, you there?" asked Sam, not seeing him, hoping calling out to him would bring his grandfather forward from wherever he was in between bugging Sam and being dead.

"I'm here, my boy," smiled Aurelio, appeared beside Sam in the blink of an eye, "You came to find out more about Palmer and Cynthia, didn't you?"

Sam nodded silently, and Aurelio scratched his beard. "Well, I'm afraid I'll have to let you down," he said solemnly, "It's not really my place to talk about it. You'll have to ask Palmer or Cynthia; I wouldn't feel right about it."

Sam sighed. "Well, I suppose I should have seen that coming," he replied with a shrug, "I guess I better get back to my friends then. I've got a battle coming up soon."

"Ah yes, you're in the Hearthome Battle Tournament," smiled Aurelio, "You're going to have a tough fight ahead of you. Some of the strongest Trainers in all the five regions come to compete in this tournament."

"That's what everyone keeps telling me," said Sam, "But I'm determined to win this. I'm good; anyone can tell you that. I've got skill…no matter how tough the opponent, I'm going to bring them down."

Aurelio gave a laugh. "You sound just like I did when I was your age. Always ready to fight and prove yourself, feeling invincible; like you couldn't lose," he said nostalgically, "It's a long fall from the top of that pedestal, and it's a painful one too. Don't take it too hard if you don't make it past your first fight. You're just starting out and these other competitors have got many more years under their belt than you."

Sam waved his hand through the air dismissively. "I'll be fine," he said, trying to reassure himself and his grandfather.

Aurelio let out another laugh before disappearing again, leaving Sam to return to his friends.

His only choice now was to wait until his number was called…he didn't know who he was fighting, but he knew which Pokémon he was going to fight with. No matter what came his way, he was prepared.

Sam stood in the archway with several other competitors, waiting for the current matches to end. His heart was beating, and he was sweating lightly.

Sam was nervous all of a sudden, he wasn't going to lie.

"Don't worry, Sam. Just keep calm, remember what Fantina and Niya taught you," said Aurelio, standing behind Sam, "I overhear conversations, don't act so surprised. Just remain calm, or you'll spook your Pokémon."

Sam didn't respond, for fear people may think he was crazy, talking to himself, but he acknowledged his grandfather's words with a nod, taking slow, deep breaths in order to calm himself.

Then the moment came that Sam had been waiting for, the announcer called them forth and assigned them to their fields.

"Michael Moran and Isabelle Del Rio far left field. Kiyoko Hyakuya and Tristan Rhodes, centre left field," started the announcer, causing two people who stood with Sam, a man and a woman to walk towards their respective places.

Sam figured their opponents were on the other side of the arena, exiting a similar waiting area.

"Atsuki Shinjuku and Duke Hayford, centre right field. Finally, Sam Accardi and our Champion for the last four years, Luxray Girl!"

The crowd erupted in a massive roar as Sam approached his battlefield. They weren't cheering for Sam though, they were cheering for Luxray Girl.

As Sam took his position, he saw his opponent.

She was average height, and was dressed in a lot of blue, black, and gold. Straps covered her blue and black jeans—even tying them off at the hem—and her black tank top. Gold coloured straps were wrapped around her blue forearm wraps, which ended at the finger joints.

Her nails were black and pointed like claws, and Sam could see yellow eyes behind her black eye mask.

Her hair was long and tied back into two short pony tails, and a blue clip held her bangs out of her face.

On her head she wore a headband with two circular, blue Luxray ears, and tied onto her belt was a blue tail with a star on the end, just like a Luxray.

No wonder they called her Luxray Girl.

"Three guesses as to who her three Pokémon are," said Aurelio in a sarcastic tone.

He stood beside Sam in the small box that was marked off with white chalk meant for Trainers. "Are you going to coach me through this?" asked Sam as the judge stepped up into his raised platform above the field Sam was battling. The other battles had started, and Sam's judge was about to start his.

"No, I can't do that. That would be cheating," said Aurelio, "But I'll be here to keep you calm, so you don't freak out. As for winning; that you'll have to do on your own."

Sam nodded. It meant a lot to Sam that his grandfather was going to be standing there, watching over him, and helping Sam to keep calm. Sam then focused himself fully on his opponent while the judge explained the rules.

"The rules are simple, you're each allowed three Pokémon. You can only switch out once your Pokémon are defeated. You have as long as it takes until either of you can no longer use your three chosen Pokémon or one of you forfeits. If you wish to forfeit, you need simply step back out of the Trainer's Box and onto the edge of the ring and proclaim your resignation from the match. Do you understand?" asked the judge finally.

Sam and Luxray Girl nodded, and the judge raised both the red and green flags,

"Then let's have a clean fight. Begin!"

With that, Sam, and Luxray Girl both grabbed a Poké Ball from their belt and tossed them in the air.

"Go Cranidos!" cried Sam, while Luxray Girl cried out to her Luxray.

"What a surprise," said Aurelio with raised eyebrows, "As if we didn't see that coming. What was your original choice?"

"Staravia," muttered Sam to his grandfather.

Aurelio smiled, and the battle began.

"Cranidos, use Flamethrower!" cried Sam.

Aurelio looked shocked, expecting Sam to use Cranidos to charge at the opponent.

"I'm not completely thick," laughed Sam, "I know not to charge head on all the time."

Luxray was fast though, and without its Trainer's command it dodged the Flamethrower. As if by some psychic connection the Luxray dashed towards Cranidos, but Sam was ready once more.

"Cranidos use Ice Beam!" he called, and the Pokémon powered up an almost white lightning looking ball in front of its mouth, shooting the lightning like substance towards Luxray, but the catlike Pokémon pounced to the side, and kept up its assault.

Cranidos tried again, and again and again, but none of the attacks hit.

Sam gritted his teeth, but his mood brightened as an idea came to mind. "Cranidos, hit the field with an Ice Beam!" he called.

Cranidos did as commanded, and just in time created a small sheet of ice on the stadium ground in front of her. The Luxray slipped, falling flat on its side and Sam used this as a time to strike.

"Cranidos, slam into Luxray with a Headbutt!" called Sam, to which his Cranidos happily replied.

The Pokémon jumped up and slammed its hard head into the Luxray, causing the ice and ground beneath it to crack and depress into a miniature crater.

"An interesting move. Though your opponent doesn't seem too fazed," said Aurelio, pointing towards Luxray Girl.

Sam noticed that his opponent was smiling. Sam never had a chance to figure it out, because before he could think of what was wrong, he was confronted with the sight of the enemy Luxray slamming an Iron Tail into Cranidos' skull.

Sam was aghast, and unable to react as his Pokémon's eyes went white and it hit the ground cold, unconscious, and unable to battle.

Sam recalled Cranidos into her Poké Ball before any more damage could befall it.

Sam took a second to regain his composure; even his grandfather was surprised, at what had just happened.

"That Luxray is on a whole other level. To withstand a blow like that, and get up like nothing happened," said Aurelio examining the situation, "It faked injury in order to get close to Cranidos…the charge was a diversion. Your opponent is skilled to use tactics like that. And to take out Cranidos in one hit."

"Well, I guess I'll use Gible next," said Sam, determination back in his voice, "I know what to expect this time. An Iron Tail, definitely some Electric attacks. I need find a way to immobilize Luxray and keep it from Gible."

Sam sent his Pokémon out, a plan already formulating in his head. Within minutes, he knew exactly what he was going to do.

"Gible," said Sam gently, a wry smile curling his lip.

Gible responded with a quick, "Gible?"

"Gible, use Sandstorm," said Sam calmly, it was almost a whisper, but Gible knew what he was saying, obeying Sam to a fault.

Slowly, sand and dust from all around the battlefield was whipped up into a blinding sandstorm that raged on around Sam, the judge, his grandfather, Gible, Luxray and Luxray Girl.

"Now Gible, I want you to use Sand Tomb on Luxray, use the sand from the Sandstorm to make it stronger," commanded Sam.

Aurelio gave a cheer, realizing what Sam was doing. "You're a genius!" said Aurelio to his grandson, clapping him on the back again, "This is your chance!"

Sam knew it too, and commanded his Gible to dive underground, with another quick, "Gible!" and tunnel towards Luxray.

Now that Sand Tomb immobilized the Pokémon, and the Sandstorm was blinding it, Sam was going to take the opportunity to get in close and strike.

He waited, and waited, almost feeling his Gible underground getting closer to Luxray.

When Sam felt Gible was close enough to Luxray, he called out, nice and loud for the world to hear.

"Gible! Dragon Rage!" called Sam.

With that, Gible jumped out of the ground, in front of Luxray, and unleashed a powerful blast of fuchsia flames and static at his opponent.

Luxray took the hit, and skidded backwards, toppling into Luxray Girl sending them both into the railings of the stairs that led to the battlefield.

The Sandstorm began to subside, but just as it was dying down, and Gible thought it had landed a decisive blow, Luxray launched an attack on Gible.

Gathering a red aura around its body, it pounced, slamming its body into the ground, causing a large crater and a small quake to pulsate across the battlefield Sam and Luxray Girl were on.

Gible went flying back, bouncing a few times before skidding to a stop, though landing on his feet.

"That was Superpower, my boy," said Aurelio, "You'd best be careful of that. Gible seems to be hanging on somehow…but I don't think it will hang on like this after another one. I suggest you forfeit, Sam. You've barely managed to make a dent into her first Pokémon, and you're almost down to your last. Admit defeat. If anything, it makes you a stronger Trainer for knowing when to quit."

Sam ignored his grandfather; he was determined not to give up. Even Gible seemed ready to fight.

In his own scrappy tone, Gible jumped, up and down, giving off small growls as he chanted, "Gi! Gib! Gible Gible!"

Sam went to call another attack, but he froze, as he noticed his Pokémon begin to glow. Even Luxray Girl and the judge looked shocked, as Gible showed signs of evolving. A white light cloaked the Pokémon, and it began to shape and morph, growing into a taller figure, until finally the light burst and faded into sparkles, leaving behind a Gabite where a Gible once stood.

The Pokémon looked like he wanted to go another round, and like Sam, he wasn't going to take stop for an answer.

Sam was prepared to let it, even despite Luxray preparing another Superpower, it's body glowing a malicious red, with its fangs bared and eyes glaring for the kill.

But, then Sam looked at his opponent, and he noticed something in her eyes. Sam gave her a sly smile and hung his head a bit.

With a sigh, he took a step back, then another one, slowly shimmying towards the edge of the arena.

"I forfeit," said Sam gently, "I give up. This fight is over."

There was a long pause of silence, and the judge, now snapping out of the awe he had for the match.

"Luxray Girl is the winner by default, Sam Accardi resigns," he announced to the entire stadium before stepping down and leaving the arena.

Sam walked over to his Gabite, who was more exhausted than he was letting on, and pet him gently on the snout. "You did a good job out there," said Sam scratching the Pokémon under the chin and giving it a quick hug, "No need to push it. You'll be all right. Just rest, a lot, you've earned it; you and Cranidos. I'm sorry to push you so hard."

"Gabite," cooed the Pokémon, nuzzling Sam's cheek and returning the affection. Sam smiled and returned Gabite to his Poké Ball, leaving the stadium in defeat, but not ashamed.

"You did a good thing, my boy," said Aurelio, trying to cheer up his grandson, "It's not a shameful thing to lose!"

"I know. Plus, I also know I never would have won that fight…not yet," said Sam, his smile returning, "Luxray Girl was trying to tell me that. I need to work a lot harder to beat her; maybe once I've beat the Elite Four, I can take her on again, and that time I'll win."

Sam poked at his dinner, slowly spooning it into his mouth. It was a silent dinner for the four friends, all of them having lost their battles in the Hearthome Battle Tournament. No matter how hard of a fight they put up, none of them made it past their first fight.

Even Pikachu was resting on seat of the bench beside Jeremy.

Despite their losses, they were in good spirits, but the day had taken its toll on them and they were tired.

"You know, despite our relatively quick losses, I think we all did well," said Niya as she spooned some soup into her mouth.

"How do you figure?" asked Jeremy, scratching the snoring Pikachu's ear.

"We did our best, we tried our very hardest," said Niya, "No matter what our opponents threw at us. Look at Sam, for example, his perseverance caused his Gible to evolve, and his strategies were even better developed than usual. And out of all of us he knew when to call it quits; that says something about not only his skill as a Trainer, but his maturity."

Sam shrugged, though gave his sly smile again. He appreciated the compliment, but he knew that he had quit for an entirely different reason. Otherwise he may have kept going despite the outcome. But for now, Sam needn't give that reason to his friends, so he remained silent.

As the group continued to eat, Valentina appeared in the dining hall, hands on her hips, walking towards her sister and her friends.

"Hey, Valentina, I didn't think I'd see you here this late," said Alyssandra happily, "Finished up early?"

"No," she laughed, "But I wanted to see my sister and her friends off before you guys left in the morning."

"Well that was nice of you," said Jeremy, "I wish we could stay longer, but we all agreed we're falling behind schedule. We need to get to Solaceon Town for Alyssandra's next contest; but we promise to come enjoy the festival next year."

Valentina nodded in agreement, slipping into the booth quickly. She grabbed a bun from the basket in the middle of the table and broke it in half, biting into it with a ravenous hunger.

"Forgive me. I haven't eaten all day," she explained as she finished the first half of the bun and began the second, while reaching for a whole other one entirely, "I also wanted to come here and tell you that you guys did great today. You put on a great show, and a great fight. Especially you Sam, you learned a valuable lesson about your own limits and about defeat. I wasn't sure if you were going to keep going or not, but you really surprised me by stepping down. It was a noble thing."

"Yeah that's what everyone keeps telling me," said Sam stoically, "But to be honest, I stopped for another reason."

Valentina and Sam locked eyes and exchanged a world of information without a single word between them.

In the end, they both smiled knowingly at each other, and Valentina leaned back and conceded defeat in a way.

"That wasn't exactly what I expected, I must say," she smirked with a shake of her head, "You, my friend, are a strange one. You're clever."

"What's going on?" asked Niya, her mood suddenly picking up as she grew curious in the nuances, "What is it?"

"Yeah tell us," protested Jeremy, who also noticed what wasn't being said.

"Hey, you're my sister and you're my best friend, I want to know too," complained Alyssandra, feeling left out.

Valentina just laughed and stood up, grabbing another roll. "I'll tell you guys next time," she said, "Later!" And with that, she briskly walked from the dining hall and left the Pokémon Centre.

"That was weird," said Jeremy simply before going back to his soup, too tired to press further.

At that moment, Sam stood up from the table, excusing himself and walking out to the lobby.

His grandfather was there waiting. "So, what is this big secret you've got with Valentina?" he asked, looking flustered for trying to figure it out but not succeeding.

"You still don't get it huh?" asked Sam, laughing that it wasn't as obvious to his grandfather of all people, who stood there with Sam on the battlefield, "Grandfather, Valentina is Luxray Girl. I don't know why…but she's Luxray Girl. She was testing me, to see if I was ready to fight her."

"I don't know if that's what she was trying to teach you, if anything," said Aurelio pensively.

"Well, either way, I know that I'm not ready to face Valentina yet," said Sam, a sense of destiny in his voice, "So, I'm going to get stronger, and I'm going to prove to Valentina that I'm ready. In a few months' time…I'll be the Champion."

"Well I certainly hope you know what you're doing," said Aurelio, arms crossed with a sarcastic tone, "But…I'll be there for you every step of the way. I'm proud you've learnt _something_ from this experience at least. Now get back to your friends."

Sam nodded and bid goodbye to his ghostly grandfather, running back into the dining hall, and sitting back down in the booth.

Tomorrow was a new day, and the first day of Sam's new training regimen. To get stronger and beat Valentina, that was his goal for the rest of his journey.

Sam wasn't giving in until he achieved it.


	45. 43 - The Pokemon Poachers

~ Chapter 43 ~

The Pokémon Poachers

" _Some people in this world will stop at nothing to achieve wealth and fame. They will abuse others, they will abuse Pokémon. They will lie, they will cheat, they will steal, they will kill. The Black Claw Gang is an example of such people. They're not around anymore, but in my youth, they were one of the most notorious group of criminals known for stealing people's Pokémon and poaching rare and wild Pokémon for profit. The Black Claw Gang were one the world's largest traders of illegal Pokémon, second only to Team Rocket. It would be many years before we finally brought them to their knees, and we clashed several times on our adventures. Every time we met, their tactics grew eviler and more wretched. The unfortunate part of it all is that so long as greed exists, there will always be people like the Black Claw Gang in this world."_

It was noon when Sam saw the smoke crest over the tree line a half a kilometre away. Sam tugged on the reins of his Rapidash, Grey Flame, named so for the plumes of majestic grey flame that billowed from his mane and tail.

As he pulled on the Pokémon's reins, he slowed himself down to a light canter, then, to a full stop.

The Pokémon let out a snort, blowing smoke and small jets of grey flame from his nostrils, then tossed his head, and began to breath heavily.

Sam's friends, Niya, Jeremy and Alyssandra, followed suit, slowing their Rapidash down before stopping.

Sam yanked the reins a bit and turned Grey Flame around so that they both faced the others.

"What's wrong?" asked Niya, taking a drink of water from her canteen before offering some to her Rapidash.

"The smoke," Sam said, as if that explained everything. When he realized it didn't, he continued, "There's too much of it to be a regular traveller's camp. Most travelling groups use a single fire, one smoke stack, right? Look there; three of them. Three fires."

"So?" asked Alyssandra as she gave her Rapidash, Chestnut, a gentle pat down the side of his neck, "They could be a really large group, or maybe some loggers or miners, or hikers even."

"That's not all that throws me off about that smoke though," added Sam, "The last few kilometres; have you noticed there's no Pokémon or animals, at all? Not even birds or Bird Pokémon flying in the sky overhead or singing in the trees. No bugs or Bug Pokémon either; and they're usually everywhere, whether humans pass by them or not."

"I…well, I suppose the loggers or whoever they are could've scared off the others. But, you've got a point about the Bug Pokémon," admitted Jeremy, who stroked a bloated and sickly-looking Pikachu, the Pokémon laying across the saddle like a U-shaped mattress, looking like he was ready to vomit.

"How is he by the way?" asked Sam, nodding towards Pikachu.

Jeremy shrugged, still petting his Pokémon. "He's still sick. He was up all-night munching on the berries Valentina and Cynthia gave us. The glutton," Jeremy let out a sigh and gave a small smile to his Pikachu, "He's like a child sometimes—then again Professor Rowan did say that training a wild Pokémon would be different."

Alyssandra chuckled, walking up beside Jeremy's Rapidash and scratching Pikachu between the ears. "Yeah, different is exactly what Pikachu is. Still I hope he gets better."

"Give him something for his stomach while we're gone. I feel bad for him, riding on a saddle like that while he's sick. It must make the pain worse," said Sam as he rummaged through his bag for some herbs for Pikachu.

"I will, thanks. But you know I'd put him the in a Poké Ball if hadn't lost it. He's so stubborn about it you know."

Sam laughed and handed Jeremy some herbs. "Crush them down as fine as you can, put the powder in boiled water until it turns dark green and make him drink it all," explained Sam, "And if he's still sick after give him some of the ginger root in Lyss' bag. She should also have the pestle and mortar my uncle gave me."

"Thanks Sam," smiled Jeremy, taking the herbs, and examining them, "So, what do you plan on doing about the smoke?"

"Investigate, of course" replied Sam matter-of-factly, "One of you can come with me. We'll go on foot; they'll hear the hoof beats otherwise."

Niya nodded. "I'll go," she said as she dismounted her Rapidash, Starfire, named after one of Niya's favourite childhood heroes, "Here, Lyss, take care of Starfire for me."

"Jeremy take Grey Flame," said Sam, dismounting Grey Flame, and passing the leather reins to his friend, "We'll be back soon. If not well…you know where to look."

With that, Sam and Niya were off, walking quietly through the wooded underbrush towards the pillars of smoke. It was fifteen minutes before they were in view of the clearing and what Sam and Niya saw worried them.

Crouching behind a bush, they saw an almost empty encampment, guarded by several men with flamethrowers, guns, and tranquilizers. Only six; but there looked to be enough tents and supplies to support at least two-dozen people.

The men left behind were draped entirely in black. Black leather jackets, black boots, black bandanas over their mouths, black glasses covering their eyes, and a black shirt beneath their jackets. Pants of black fabric as well.

They stood, muscled and on duty, like they were guarding a treasure, and it wasn't until Sam noticed something off to the left end of the camp that he realized, to them, they were.

Several cramped cages, filled with Ralts—one of them even shiny—Vulpix, and Chansey.

Those that were awake looked unhappy, the rest seemed to be tranquilized, sleeping a troubled sleep as the memories of their capture danced behind their eyelids.

Sam was revolted as he realized who these men were. "Black Claw Gang," was all Sam said, rage seeping through his words.

"They're that notorious group of Pokémon Poachers, aren't they?" asked Niya in a whisper, "What are they doing over here?"

"They are, and they're probably hunting the wild Pokémon that don't occur that commonly in the area. See?" Sam pointed over towards the cages of Pokémon as he continued to speak, "Vulpix, Ralts, a few Kirlia cramped in the back there actually, now that I look harder. That Shiny Ralts too, and look, see the Chansey? All these Pokémon will fetch a fair price on the market. It's not like snagging a Tyranitar, but in bulk these Pokémon are worth even more, especially with that Shiny Ralts thrown in."

"You know a bit too much about this. Hey, are you okay? Your jaw is clenched," responded Niya.

"Well, I have to. Poachers are my family's eternal enemy. Don't forget, when we started to get popular the MacAbres sent Poachers after our Pokémon to shut us down. In a way, it only made us even better at what we did because we pre-trained the Pokémon in order to help them better defend themselves and the ranch. This made them more desirable to the customers sure, but also to prize hunters," explained Sam, "The gang that the MacAbres sent were the Black Claw Gang. They weren't called that then, I think they were known as the Black Street Gang—different times, smaller crew, and not as much money behind them. Anyway, those incidents made the Accardi Pokémon Ranch a success, but it also launched the Black Claw Gang into prominence."

"Though their earlier raids on other ranches were a success, their later raids on our ranch, failed as they were, were made possible by the copious amounts of money that the MacAbres funnelled into gang's operations. All that money made them rich; very rich. Rich enough to help them grow their operation to what it is now."

"They ran their illegal activities like a legal business. They utilized smart investments and partnerships and mergers with other poaching groups to grow their income, they even laundered their money into property and charity."

"They absorbed the three biggest poaching organizations in the Four Region Area to get to the size they are today, and now they rival only Team Rocket, whom they often do contract work for. Their leader is a smart businessman, as good a businessman as he is a wicked person."

"So, your family has held that grudge for two generations?" wondered Niya, the two of them shying away from the bush and retreating several meters back so that they were positioned far from the patrolling guards.

"They've made other attempts at our ranches," explained Sam, "They haven't gotten anything, but I know their boss is just waiting for the right moment to strike again. He wants our Pokémon, and he's trying to find a way to break through our security measures to get them."

"Why?" asked Niya, "That's probably a stupid question. But why would someone steal the Pokémon from them when they could purchase them from your ranch?"

"Well, if there's one thing people like, it's money," started Sam, the two of them beginning the walk back to Lyss and Jeremy, "Especially some—not all, but some—greedy rich people, or people who we wouldn't consider…worthy to own our Pokémon—"

Niya interrupted briefly, to add. "You mean criminals and people who would misuse your Pokémon?" asked Niya.

Sam nodded in affirmation. "Precisely. Now, being pre-trained Pokémon, and very well trained might I add, make them somewhat more expensive than just regular Pokémon sold on another ranch. Because we put extra work and time into training and raising these Pokémon for Contests or Battle, or what have you. You won't believe the money the Pokémon Leagues put into our ranch. Pokémon used to level the playing field during official matches, Chansey, Blissey and Audino for the Nurse Joys of the world—"

"I get the picture," said Niya with a sigh, "Continue with the story."

"Sorry," chuckled Sam, "Well, anyway, the point is, even if they sell the Pokémon at half price, they can still make a fair bit of profit, and to the Claw Gang, money is money and every bit helps. Besides, what would _you_ rather pay? Full price, or half price for the same product?"

"I see your point…some people _do_ like their money, and the criminals wouldn't mind getting Pokémon battle ready for half price. And I can see why the Black Claw Gang doesn't mind selling them at reduced prices, they stole them and got these Pokémon for nothing anyway," noted Niya, understanding what Sam was saying.

"Exactly," affirmed Sam, "Now you're thinking business."

"When was the last attack?" asked Niya after a pause of silence.

"A few years ago, but nothing since then. Though I know they haven't given up," stated Sam, "Come on, let's get back. There's more gang members out in these woods than we saw in the camp, if they get a hold of Lyss, Jeremy or the Rapidash…"

"I understand," Niya nodded, and the two started a light jog back to the others.

It wasn't too long before they returned to the place where they had left their friends and Pokémon.

"Well?" asked Alyssandra, who was leaning against a tree, her Rapidash lying down beside her.

"Poachers," said Sam, "Black Claw Gang."

"Sam was right," added Niya, "I recommend we turn back and circle around. If we get caught, it could end bad."

Jeremy and Alyssandra nodded, and the two of them, passing the reins of Grey Flame and Starfire back to Sam and Niya.

With the four of them mounted, the group flicked the reins and dashed off through the woods the way they came.

Sam ensured the group remained at a light gallop, in order to escape the reach of the Black Claw patrols in the area. The faster they were away from the poachers, the better in Sam's opinion.

They were almost a good half a kilometre from where they dismounted when Sam felt a heavy object strike him in the side of the head. Sam fell backwards off of Grey Flame, and as he hit the ground he could hear the cries of his friends falling off their Rapidash as well as well as a high-pitched ringing in his ears.

Sam's vision was blurred, and his head hurt, and the ringing was only getting worse. He could hear shouting, he could make out a burst of grey fire as his Rapidash reared and charged towards figures, masked, and covered in black.

The other Rapidash followed suit, and charged towards these black clad figures, rearing, and beating their hoofs against their upraised arms and bringing them down on their chests.

These figures cried out again, this time in pain and in anger.

The Rapidash were a bright source of light as their manes and tails had grown several their normal size—even through the blurred vision they were beacons.

Then the sound of guns firing, and Sam wanted to get up. He scrambled, struggling, his head still spinning from the fall.

As he tried to stand, he heard Alyssandra cry out, he heard Jeremy attack someone. Someone shouted for their ally to grab "the unconscious one" and Sam only assumed they meant Niya.

There was a sharp pain to his ribs; someone had kicked him, then one to the back of his head.

More pain as his head pounded behind his eyes, and the ringing had come back too. Sam's vision blurred again, the Rapidash were letting our cries of distress, struggling against their foes while more guns went off.

Another strike to the back of his head; something weighty but slim, probably the butt of a gun or something.

Sam didn't hear or see the rest of the altercation, as the world slowly drifted off into black after that last strike. All he remembered was the pounding behind his eyes and the ringing in his ears.

The sun had begun to sink below the tree line when Sam finally opened his eyes.

After waiting for his eyes to readjust, and for his head to stop beating loud enough that he could think, Sam noticed he was tied up, sitting on the ground, rope wrapped around his body holding him to a post in the ground.

Jeremy was on his left, Niya to his right, and Alyssandra was tied up just beside her.

They were on the outskirts of what Sam recognized was the Black Claw Gang's camp.

The whole gang of poachers was there, gathered around what Sam saw to be a trailer. There was shouting as if cheering some great victory, he couldn't see who they were gathered around but he assumed it was their leader.

Looking across the camp, Sam then noticed that Grey Flame and the other Rapidash had been shoved into a cage, and several more cages containing his and his friends' Pokémon were now stacked near the Ralts cage.

They were unconscious, and though they didn't look hurt, they looked scared even behind their lidded eyes.

Sam bit back the rage he felt and tried to gather his composure. He had no Pokémon, his friends were still out cold, and he was surrounded by a group of armed mercenaries who hated him and his family.

Sam only had one advantage going for him, and that was that the Black Claw Gang weren't going to kill him; not yet at least. They'd extract security information about the ranches first.

Who patrolled where and when, where the weak points in the parameters were, and what Pokémon were kept where. They'd probably hold him for ransom too, and once they got their money and the Pokémon from the ranches, well, then they'd kill him.

Until then, Sam had the next few moments to plan an escape, before the Gang realized he was awake. His bonds were tight, which Sam noticed instantly as he tried to struggle against them, and he had little leeway with them.

There were no sharp rocks around him that he could try to grab with his hands or bring closer to him with his feet.

The Black Claw Gang had obviously thought ahead.

With each minute that ticked by Sam felt increasingly helpless, realizing that escape was not currently possible, if ever, and that things were becoming bleaker for him and his friends.

Then came the moment Sam feared most, his friends had woken up, and their stirring had gotten the attention of the Black Claw Gang.

None of them approached him though; instead they parted, as if to let something or someone through.

Then Sam understood what they were doing, as a tall figure in a black metal exo-suit walked through the parted crowd and approached Sam.

His footsteps were heavy and left deep footprints in the ground. His suit shone and was lacquered like the scabbard of a katana, and the black glass that formed his visor was tinted to the colour of the blackest night. All you could see in it was what was reflected.

There was a hissing sound as he breathed and moved.

This man looked like something out of a science-fiction novel from space, but Sam knew who he was.

Black Helm was his nickname, or the Black Knight; some even called him the Dark Hunter. He was the field commander of the Black Claw Gang, a man who clawed his way up to his rank through murder and cunning.

He was subject only to the true leader of the Black Claw Gang, whom no one had seen for years, and many assumed was truly dead—were it not for the constant business moves of the Gang that is.

It was said he was disfigured from years of poaching Pokémon, and that's why he now lived within this exo-suit. The burns and wounds had disfigured him so badly that the outside world hurt him. The air burned his wounds, and this suit was the only thing that could keep him alive and his organs running.

It filtered oxygen and fed them directly to his lungs. It also made him impervious to the elements, most physical attacks and made him stronger than before.

Sam knew how futile escape was now.

As he stood before Sam and his friends, Black Helm reached towards his chest, adjusting some dials and buttons. There was a whirring that made Sam think of the sound a TV or Radio made when you adjust the frequency or antenna. Then the sound of a voice, warped and bent, adjusting in depth and pitch, then finally it came through.

The voice was metallic, deep, muted by the breather that was attached to his mouth beneath the mask and distorted by the suit's vocal box.

"So, we have an Accardi in our presence. I am honoured," Helm said as he gave a low, mocking bow then straightened up to continue speaking, "I'm assuming you did not know we were here, and that's why you came so close to our patrols."

"Well, I don't think anyone knows you're here. I'm surprised you weren't discovered sooner with a group this large," said Sam, keeping a level head, and not letting his distress and hatred go through.

"Yes, you speak the truth. We've tried to be…discreet on purpose, but when we recognized you, we just _had_ to strike," said Helm.

Sam couldn't see his face, but he was sure that Black Helm was sneering behind the visor.

"Well, as much as I enjoy being the honoured guest to this little party, I'm afraid we must be going so—"

Sam's sarcasm was cut short by a sharp metallic laugh, followed by the laughter of the rest of the Black Claw Gang.

"Do you now? Well I'm afraid I can't allow you to do that," said Helm, though not impolitely, "You're worth a lot of money to us; both for ransom and for security information for the ranches."

"Yes, I suppose that was to be expected," said Sam dryly.

Black Helm merely grunted in acknowledgement.

There was another brief pause; then Sam continued on his trail of thought.

"Well, then perhaps you can let my friends go? And our Pokémon too?" asked Sam, "Perhaps mine as well? They didn't do anything to you."

"Sam what are you—" hissed Jeremy, but Sam shot him a look and he remained silent.

Alyssandra and Niya said nothing, and simply watched, with a look of great distress.

"You ask for much," whirred Black Helm, "Your friends I would be willing to part with; they don't seem particularly noteworthy and I can't get much for them. Not even the Konstantinova. If I start ransoming family members of Gym Leaders I'll upset the Pokémon League and draw attention to our being here, and that just won't do. But you must understand, Accardi raised Rapidash, Contest Champion Pokémon, and all the rest will fetch us a fair bit of profit, and I can't just let that go either."

"What if you add whatever you would have made off of them to my ransom? That way you still make back the difference," suggested Sam, who was finding it less and less odd to be doing business with his kidnapper, a criminal and a notorious villain.

"Sam, do you hear yourself right now, you're making a deal with—" Niya was the one to talk this time, but she was silenced as Black Helm raised his hand. Not to strike her, but to simply silence her.

"Please," he said, as if insulted, "We're trying to do business. You should let your friend be. He is, after all, trying to negotiate your release."

Niya glared at Black Helm but remained silent. Alyssandra gave her a look, as if to try and calm her, and Sam continued his negotiations.

"I'm not entirely adverse to that suggestion. Profit, no matter how it is accrued, is still profit correct?" stated Black Helm, looking back at Sam.

"I agree. I may not agree with what you do, but I can understand your basic business model," Sam agreed with a nod.

"But there is one problem, how can I guarantee I'll get that extra money to make up my profits?" wondered Helm, "You see, I'm afraid if I start asking too much for your ransom, your family won't pay. But at the same time, if I lower your ransom to accommodate the extra fee, then I still lose money making your negotiations pointless."

"If that's a concern, look at it this way, you get the security information from me, you'll be able to steal from the ranches, from there you can always charge a bit more for the Pokémon you steal," retorted Sam, trying to refute Black Helm's point and calm his worries.

"If we charge too much we won't be able to move the goods fast enough. People may not want to buy. Demand is a funny thing, you see," Black Helm returned, arguments strong as ever.

Sam thought for a moment, also holding back a cringe and some rage when he heard Black Helm call Pokémon "goods."

"I see your point. Very well, if you're really that worried then I'll give my word that I will negotiate as hard as I can to ensure you get my ransom plus the extra fee," said Sam finally, capitulating to Black Helm, "I'll sign a contract if you want, if we're really being that formal. Cut me free, bring me to your tent and we'll work something up, hm?"

Black Helm gave a warped chuckle from behind his mask and breather, and a few of the younger Black Claw members chuckled along nervously as well, unsure of what to do.

Sam remained impassive, not letting the laughter undermine his cool. "You wouldn't be trying to escape, would you?" asked Black Helm with a hiss, not from his voice, but from the suit as he bent over, bringing his black glass visor inches from Sam's face.

"Black Helm, I thought I could give your intelligence more credit than that. There are over forty of you, and only one of me, and you could grab your tranquilizers and shoot me and catch me faster than I could run out of this encampment."

"You've got a fair point there," noted Black Helm, and stepped around behind Sam.

Within moments, a blade burst forth from Black Helm's wrist, coming from an almost invisible compartment in his armour, and the ropes around Sam's body loosened and were gone.

Sam stood up, slowly though as not to set the Claw Gang on edge, and stretched a bit, enjoying the ability to regain full movement in his arms.

Black Helm pointed towards his tent—the largest, located near the Pokémon cages—and Sam started towards it, but stopped as he saw a black blur dash overhead, then spun around to watch Black Helm completely freeze up as bolt of lightning struck him.

Black Helm's suit leaked static and locked up, unable to move, and let out horrible hissing, grinding and whirring sounds.

Black Helm tried to talk, but the electric shock damaged his breather and voice box.

Looking around, Sam saw a Luxray, poised and ready to pounce, flicking its tail back and forth, looking hungrily at the rest of the Black Claw Gang. Many looked ready to fight and tranquilize the Luxray for its incursion, though currently they were too afraid to really do anything.

They were stunned that anyone, or anything, could take out their leader so easily; from what Sam could tell, the grounding spikes at his Achilles tendon didn't eject into the ground in time—mostly due to the fact that the attack was unexpected.

Sam reached out towards the Luxray, trying to get its attention, but he stopped as he felt the group rumble.

It shook violently, and the area underneath their feet crumbled and fell away. From the hole burst forth a Garchomp, roaring and enraged stomping through the camp, knocking over tents and equipment and Black Claw members.

Sam stood there, in disbelief at his luck, but he didn't have time to gawk for long as he saw a Lucario breaking open the containment cages, then, glowing with blue Aura, removed the lethargy of the captured Pokémon that had been induced by the darts.

Pokémon were fleeing into the forests, while the captive Pokémon—Sam's and his friends'—came running towards them, joining the fray.

The Rapidash were trampling Black Claw members, led by Grey Flame. Sam's Empoleon was leading his Pokémon and Alyssandra's Piplup—who would've probably tagged along anyway—after a group of novices running off into the woods, while the others' Pokémon were doing quite the same.

Niya's Glameow walked over to his Trainer and sat there, licking his paws, flicking his tail, waiting for Niya to magically burst free from her bonds.

Black Helm was still unable to move, but something in Sam told him that they wouldn't have much longer.

He ran over to the sunken bit of land, to an unconscious Gang member, and grabbed his boot knife.

Quick as a Ninjask, Sam dashed over to his friends and cut them free. Once they were cut loose, they ran towards the centre of the camp, just as Black Helm was beginning to regain control of his suit. He didn't get a chance to move far, however, for as soon as he took a step, the Luxray pounced on him from behind, slamming him face first into the dirt.

Black Helm's punishment did not get better, as Luxray was followed by the Garchomp swooping down from its flight above and slamming its tail down on the flattened Black Helm a few times.

"Quick! Hurry!" cried a voice, coming out of nowhere from behind Sam and his friends.

Turning around, they saw Valentina, holding the groups' Poké Ball Belts and bags with all their equipment. "Hurry!" she cried, "No time for staring, grab your stuff, put your Pokémon away, hop on your Rapidash and we'll get going."

Sam, Alyssandra, Jeremy and Niya did as they were told, and together they recalled their Pokémon to their Poké Balls—except Alyssandra's Roselia, whom she scooped up and placed in her bag to keep her safe as the small Pokémon ran towards her Trainer to avoid being trampled in the confusion.

With their bags and equipment fastened onto their backs, or secured in the saddlebags, the group mounted their Rapidash and galloped off into the forest.

Valentina rode beside them, on the back of her Luxray—which Sam just noticed was a bit bigger than most Luxray, and Cynthia, to Sam's surprise rode on the back of the Garchomp he now realized to be hers, as the Pokémon flew between the trees, low to the ground, just behind the Rapidash.

It was half an hour before the sextet came to a halt, prompted by Valentina who halted her Luxray, turning it around so she faced the others, though she still sat on its back as the conversation unfolded.

The group tugged on the reins of their Rapidash, halting them, and walking them into position so everyone stood in a circle.

Cynthia filled in the last part of the circle, landing her Garchomp and hopping off its back. She fed her Pokémon some dried meat and gave the Garchomp a big hug and thanks for its help.

Valentina was doing much the same with her Luxray, prompting Sam and the others to thank their Rapidash as well. Once the thanking was over—for truly there was a lot to be thankful for today—Valentina was the first to speak.

"Whose idea was it to go running into that camp to investigate?" asked Valentina, not upset, but clearly worried for everyone's safety.

"I investigated, but no one saw us—at least I didn't think they did," admitted Sam, "We were quiet, and only Niya and I approached the camp—we were trying not to get too close."

"Well it was still dangerous. You know—"

Valentina was cut off, as Cynthia knew she would start fuming if she kept going.

"We'd been watching the Black Claw's movements for a few days now, we were actually planning on leading the Hearthome Police Force on a strike tomorrow as a conjoined effort between us and Fantina," explained Cynthia, "We didn't, however, expect we'd have to move so soon, but when we found out you might be in trouble we didn't have a choice."

"So that's why you followed us out of Hearthome?" asked Jeremy, holding Pikachu in his arms, the Pokémon now fast asleep, still unwell and worn out from exerting himself during the escape from the camp.

Alyssandra herself was in the middle of cradling her new Roselia, who, apparently—or so Alyssandra explained—had evolved from her Budew during the commotion of the escape while fighting off some enemy Pokémon. It was unforeseen but welcomed.

"Not exactly. Cynthia had something she wanted to give you and didn't realize you were leaving Hearthome City so soon," explained Valentina, "We tried to go after you, but as we followed your trail we realized the path you were taking, and knew we had to go after you to make sure you were okay. Why were you taking the side roads anyway?"

"I suggested it," said Niya, "There's a few spots in the forest where during this time of year, they are really magnificent remarkable sights. I didn't know the Black Claw Gang was here though."

"Well, if we had known that you were going to take the path you did we would've warned you," said Cynthia almost apologetically, "But, I suppose it _did_ all work out in the end—part ways. While we were hoping to make some arrests, we did manage to halt their operation for the time being while saving you guys. They know now that we're aware of their presence in Sinnoh unfortunately, so they'll be more discreet, and more careful from now on. But hopefully this will mean that the Black Claw Gang will be scarcer for the next little while."

"But they will come back," frowned Alyssandra, her Roselia still sitting in her shoulder bag, poking its head out eager to hear the conversation.

"It's unfortunate, but yes, eventually they will come back," conceded Cynthia, "But we will stop them each time they do. We're not alone, despite what happened today, and I can still hold my own in a Pokémon Battle. Besides, if the current Sinnoh Champion and the former Sinnoh Champion can't stop a few thugs then we don't deserve our titles."

Valentina sighed and smiled, but clearly agreed with Cynthia. "Just don't go doing anything dangerous anymore, all right?" she added, looking right at Sam as if to drive her point home.

"I promise. This was enough excitement for the next little while," agreed Sam solemnly, "So, Cynthia, what was it that you wanted to give us?"

"Oh yes! Thank you for reminding me," exclaimed Cynthia, who reached towards a small cloth pouch that hung at her waist. As she took it from her belt, Cynthia pulled the contents from the pouch and placed it in Sam's hand.

"It's an Odd Keystone," explained Cynthia, "I won't reveal too much about—I think you should figure out the rest for yourself—but if you're interested in rare Pokémon, and are up for a good challenge, stop by the Hallowed Tower on your way to Solaceon Town."

Sam took the stone, carefully as if he was cradling an egg in his hand. "Thank you, I'll do just that. I've always liked a good mystery," smiled Sam, thankful that Cynthia was being so helpful to him.

"There's also one more thing," said Valentina, who reached into a bag that was slung across her back, "You're lucky we didn't accidentally damage this in all the excitement."

Valentina removed a cylindrical glass case from her bag, containing the stripped, brown, and white egg that Sam was very familiar with.

"My Eevee egg," exclaimed Sam, taking the glass case with care and placing it gently in one of the saddlebags, "How'd you get this?"

"Your uncle called the Pokémon Centre looking for you and I just happened to be passing by on my way back from lunch," explained Valentina, "I spoke with him and he told me your egg was close to hatching, and he wanted you close to the egg when it did. Something about impressing the Pokémon."

"Imprinting, but yes, basically," smirked Sam, noting Valentina's sarcasm, "Thanks. I appreciate it; you didn't have to."

"Yes, I did," she sighed, "I'm a good person." Valentina gave a smile and mounted her Luxray again; as Cynthia did her Garchomp. "Keep an eye out for danger from now on, hm? There's a lot of people worrying about you," said Valentina with a wink.

Cynthia nodded in agreement. "You're a young hopeful, and I want to see you go far in the Pokémon League, just like I want to see Alyssandra win the Grand Festival and Jeremy become a Ranger, First Class. Besides, I want you to kick Valentina's butt for me—payback for taking my title."

"As I recall, Cynthia, you were more than happy to retire," stated Valentina coyly, "You said you would've given me the title and fled if had I refused after my victory."

"Yes, and you did, didn't you?" chuckled Cynthia, her Garchomp lifting off the ground.

"I was fifteen you know," shrugged Valentina, "I needed to take some time to get stronger before I became the Champion. I needed to make sure I didn't beat you on luck alone."

Cynthia smiled. "Don't worry, you didn't. But I understood your feelings, so I let you have your three years. Besides, you said it yourself: you always were an overachiever. Well, goodbye kids!"

Cynthia and her Garchomp were gone in moments, swooping through the trees back towards Hearthome City.

"See ya later!" called Valentina, her Luxray dashing off after the ex-Champion with Valentina on his back.

Once Cynthia and Valentina had disappeared out of sight, the group turned to face each other, and spurred their horses forward, moving a gently walking speed through the woods towards their goal.

"Jeremy, can you navigate us towards the Hallowed Tower?" asked Sam.

Jeremy nodded and grabbed his Pokétch, utilizing the Map Application to locate where they were and where they had to go.

"That way," said Jeremy pointing to his right, "That's east. We need to head east for a while and we should hit the Hallowed Tower by tomorrow."

Sam nodded, and the group turned towards where Jeremy was pointing, and headed in that direction.

"What you did could've landed you in a lot of trouble today Sam," said Alyssandra, a bit upset, "You shouldn't have given yourself up so easily."

Sam wrinkled his brow and frowned at Alyssandra's lack of faith in his plans. "I knew what I was doing," said Sam simply, "And at least you and the Pokémon would've gotten away. After that I would've figured some way to get away."

Alyssandra frowned again, but said nothing, she simply sighed and kept going.

"What made you think of bargaining with them like it was some business deal?" asked Niya, curious.

Sam shrugged, waiting a bit before responding, unsure of what he would say. Niya waited intently for an answer, and when Sam finally found the right words, he spoke.

"I remember hearing that they were incredibly skilled at business," explained Sam, "They're a lot like Team Rocket. They're not all cloak and dagger; illegal actions lurking in the dark. Do you know what I mean? They have a public face and a private face. They understand that fighting and killing and all that doesn't always work—it's bad P.R. But business deals…anyone can be reasoned with—they were. I guess I just thought…I don't know. It's not like I could do much else, right?"

Niya nodded understanding, and simply shrugged, blanketing the rest of the day in a veil of silence. No one said anything. They were too tired, too exhausted mentally and physically from the day. Even the Rapidash were silent, except for their breathing, and the occasional gentle nicker.

They couldn't wait to make camp for the night, and after a quick and silent dinner, everyone retired to their tents for a well-earned rest—especially the Pokémon.

As Sam lay there getting ready to sleep, he knew he would have to face the Black Claw Gang again, and he knew that out there, somewhere, there was another faction of the Gang capturing innocent Pokémon in Johto, or Hoenn, or somewhere in the world.

All that mattered is that they were out there, but Sam vowed to stop them one day. No matter what it took.


	46. 44 - Route 209, The Two Towers

~ Chapter 44 ~

Route 209, The Two Towers

" _The Two Towers. That's what we called it. Hey, we were dumb kids, don't judge us too harshly. Sounds like a fantasy epic, huh? That's what I thought too. Anyway, when Cynthia said she didn't want to spoil too much she was right. If she had told us what was in store I can tell you Lyss would have made us skip both the Hallowed Tower and the Lost Tower. The Hallowed Tower was supposedly a place of worship for the people of Solaceon Town after they came down from Mt. Coronet and founded a settlement where the town is now located. It fell apart, but in the past few hundred years was rebuilt in the form of a massive obelisk-shaped tower called the Lost Tower; that's now a graveyard to dead Pokémon. Spooky right? Yeah, well, it got spookier."_

Sam, Niya, Jeremy and Alyssandra sat around the campfire.

Jeremy's Pikachu sat resting on Jeremy's lap, while the rest of the group's Pokémon were huddled nearby as well. Everyone had eaten and now the only sound was the crackling of the fire and chirping of crickets and Kricketot.

Everyone sat, listening intently to Alyssandra's scary story.

"They say in the Johto Region, in Ecruteak City, there was once a little girl named Eiko who had just moved in to a new house," began Alyssandra, using a tone of voice that made this harmless little girl seem spooky, "Shortly after moving in, Eiko made a new best friend. Her name was Ari, but Ari wasn't what she seemed, because Ari was invisible. The two girls grew very, very close, and would always play together in the family's yard. One day, while Eiko and Ari were trying to plant flowers, Ari warned Roxanne not to plant any under the old oak tree in the corner of Roxanne's backyard. Apparently, that's where Ari's daddy was sleeping."

Pikachu felt a shiver run up his spine, and the story hadn't even progressed that far. The small Pokémon immediately ran up Jeremy's leg and jumped into the space between his shirt and his jacket. Pikachu poked his head out of the collar of the jacket, his ears hitting Jeremy in the face.

Jeremy simply chuckled as his Pokémon attempted to get warmer and hide from the already creepy Ari.

"The next day, Eiko brought Ari to school for show and tell; but her teacher Mrs. Sato wasn't happy with that. She yelled at Eiko and hurt Ari's feelings. When Eiko tried to explain to her teacher that Ari was upset, Mrs. Sato told the girl that Ari wasn't real, and was just a figment of her overactive imagination. Ari got so upset, that she hid the chalk eraser," continued Alyssandra.

"A few days later, during the weekend, Eiko had a birthday party. She was turning nine and invited her friends to come over and celebrate with her. But because of Ari, Eiko became known as the 'Weird Ghost Girl' all because she still had an imaginary friend. Eiko was upset at first, until Ari told her that people had come to the door and left gifts on the porch but didn't stay. This made Eiko feel a bit better, and she spent the rest of the day playing with her new toys and Ari."

"After the weekend, Eiko, having forgotten about no one coming to her birthday party, with Ari having done her best to make it all better, Eiko returned to school. That day however, everything was different. Her regular teacher, Mrs. Sato was absent, and replaced by a temporary substitute, Ms. Inoue. Ms. Inoue was, in Eiko's opinion, much nicer than Mrs. Sato, letting the kids have snack time after diary time. When Eiko's classmate, Jonathan, stole her pencil case, Ms. Inoue did her best to look everywhere for it, but couldn't find it and made Jonathan give Eiko his pencils for the time being."

"Ms. Inoue and Roxanne talked a lot after that, and Roxanne told her teacher about Ari. Ms. Inoue, though she couldn't see Ari, introduced herself, and told Eiko that she believed Ari was real. From then on, Roxanne wished with all of her heart that Ms. Inoue could stay her teacher."

A cold wind blew across the camp, and the fire dimmed and flickered as the breeze blew over the flames and reduced it to embers for a moment.

Niya and Sam shivered, as did Jeremy, and all three of them pulled their sleeping bags up closer around them and scooted closer to the fire; it was an unusually cool night for the summer. The wind began to die down, and Alyssandra, knowing the time was right to speak again, leaned in close, and her voice grew a bit softer.

"As the days went by, Ari and Eiko grew closer and closer, and one day, the two went out on a long walk all day. Ari said it would be a good idea, and the two walked all around the neighbourhood until the moon came out. When they finally came home, Eiko's dad was very upset at her for leaving like that. When Eiko tried to explain it was Ari's idea, her father got upset, and yelled."

"He called Ari stupid, and fake. Just like Mrs. Sato, and Ari grew sad and began to sob. Ari disappeared shortly after, and Eiko was sad because she had lost her best friend. Days went by, and still no Ari. Eiko wrote letters and left them in the attic where they had met, and all the time, continued to talk to Ms. Inoue about Ari. While they spoke one day, Ms. Inoue told Eiko that Mrs. Sato, her old teacher, wasn't coming back anymore, and that Ms. Inoue would remain Eiko's teacher for the rest of the school year."

"That night, Eiko's dad didn't come home; her mother told her that he was at work. A day passed, a whole weekend, and still Eiko's father still didn't come home. Her mother was worried and angry, and Eiko was oblivious."

The wind began to whistle through the trees, picking up as it shook the branches with force. Everyone continued to draw closer, and with a wry smile, Alyssandra finished the story.

"Ari finally returned, and Eiko was happy to have her friend back. When Eiko tried to explain everything that had happened in her life since Ari left, Ari already knew. Ari told Eiko not to worry about Ari's hurt feelings, but that Mrs. Sato and Eiko's dad were sleeping, just like Ari's father."

Niya let out a small shudder, and even Jeremy and Sam pulled their blankets tighter around their necks.

Pikachu was asleep; unaware of the chilling end to the chilling story that Alyssandra was telling.

It was late, it was dark, and the group was exhausted after a full day of walking. They had let the Rapidash rest that day and opted to go on foot. It had been a long day up and down hill and it was well past sundown, and it was finally sometime around ten in the evening before the group had arrived at their destination—the Hallowed Tower.

By now, that story was twice as chilling, with exhaustion taking the place of comfort, and the cold wind only adding to the discomfort.

"That…that was a scarier story than I expected," noted Sam as he pulled himself even closer to the fire.

"At least coming from you," added Jeremy, who had just returned from tucking Pikachu into bed back in the tent.

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Alyssandra in defensive protest, "I can't tell scary stories?"

"You can," replied Sam, "You just normally don't—at least not this well. Where did you get this story from anyway?"

Alyssandra shrugged. "I think I heard it from Valentina when we were kids; to be honest I don't really remember. It just sort of…came to me."

"I don't know if it's the unusually cold night or the exhaustion, but something just made what you said even more unnerving to me," stated Niya, pouring some hot water into a tin cup so she could prepare her pre-bedtime tea.

"Finally scared of something Niya?" smirked Sam as he lay back on a bedroll, looking up at the stars.

"Don't make me spill this on you," motioned Niya to her hot tea, giving a quick look to Sam.

"Settle down now both of you," warned Alyssandra, "Or I'll set the ghost of Ari on you."

"Right, and on that note, I'm going to bed," said Jeremy, getting up from the ground. He brushed himself of dirt and with a stretch, gathered his blanket and made his way towards the boys' tent.

"I'll probably fall right asleep," noted Jeremy, Pikachu snoring peacefully in his jacket.

"I'll try not to make too much noise when I come in then, I shouldn't be long though," Sam said, looking at Jeremy.

"Okay, I'll see you in a bit," smiled Jeremy, "Goodnight everyone."

Everyone called out their goodnights in turn, and Alyssandra stood up next to head to bed herself.

Niya went next, and finally Sam.

Within fifteen minutes of Jeremy heading to bed, the fire had been reduced to a pile of simmering logs and everyone else had turned in for the night.

It was the middle of the night when Jeremy had heard the thump, and the howl, and the hiss. At first, he dismissed it as nothing—the wind, or a Pokémon. But then it continued, louder and closer; a wailing sound, then a cry, a howl.

The hairs on the back of Jeremy's neck stood up.

Jeremy looked over to Pikachu, usually sleeping beside him, so that they could go explore the source of the noise together. Then Jeremy's stomach dropped as he noticed Pikachu wasn't there, worse yet, was that the tent door was still zipped closed.

Pikachu hadn't snuck out, and Sam was still in the tent.

Pikachu hadn't gotten out of the tent, not by himself anyway—as far Jeremy could tell. He doubted that one of the girls had let him out, because Jeremy hadn't heard talking outside the tent.

With a start, Jeremy threw the covers to the side, and slowly zipped open the tent. He peaked out—making sure that whatever was out there wasn't there, ready to attack him—but Jeremy saw nothing. With a short, sharp breath, he snuck from the tent flap and out into the darkened, misty campground.

The wind had stopped, but a mild fog had crept around the campsite in the past few hours since the group had gone to bed, and the fire was an almost non-existent glowing pile of blackened coal and ash.

There was a faint rasping whistle coming from…somewhere, though from where exactly Jeremy had no idea. Looking around, Jeremy also saw that there was no Pikachu in sight, and fear gripped him, as he wondered where his Pokémon could've gone.

"Pikachu?" whispered Jeremy, his voice raspy and rough from disuse as he slept. He spoke as loud as he could, without waking his friends. "Pikachu?" asked Jeremy again, clearing his throat so that he spoke clearer; still no response.

Jeremy shivered a bit, as a cold suddenly drew itself around him.

There was a whoosh behind him, as if something flew by. Frightened a bit, Jeremy spun around, looking for the source of the noise. Jeremy couldn't see anything but kept his guard up.

He raised his fists, realizing he didn't have his Pokémon with him, having left them behind in the tent. "Who's there?" called Jeremy, a bit louder, replacing his unease with a confidence. Whatever happened he wasn't going to go without a fight.

Then there was a whirring sound, a cosmic sound; a sound that pulsated like something out of a sci-fi movie.

Jeremy went stiff, fear gripped him, but he kept pushing forward. He spun around, came face to face with his attacker, the mystery, the source of the noises and all the commotion.

Jeremy let out a scream, there was a bright flash of light, and he disappeared.

Sam's eyes shot open as he heard his friend scream. He threw the covers off of himself, grabbed his Poké Ball belt, and ran out into the campsite to see what was wrong.

As Sam left his tent he saw fog slowly dissipate from the area, and Alyssandra was looking around, screaming for Niya and Jeremy and Pikachu.

"Lyss!" shouted Sam, trying to get her attention, "What's wrong?"

"It's Niya, Jeremy and Pikachu, they've all gone missing," said Alyssandra, exasperated, and worried, "I heard Jeremy scream and when I woke up I saw Pikachu and Niya were missing too."

"How?" asked Sam, as he tried desperately to wrap his mind around what was going on.

"I don't know," replied Alyssandra, "Do you think it was the Black Claw? Did they come back to get revenge?"

"No, I don't think so," said Sam firmly, "They'd be trying to lay low now. Kidnapping would bring too much attention to them; especially since Valentina and Cynthia know about their presence in the Sinnoh Region."

"So, what happened then?" asked Alyssandra.

Sam shrugged. "I don't know…" was all Sam could come up with.

"I know," said a voice, coming from the darkness.

Sam and Alyssandra jumped and spun around to face the speaker.

What they saw was a young woman, with long black hair, pale skin, wearing traditional robes one might see in the Johto Region; a white kimono with long, billowing sleeves, and a red hakama skirt over it. In her hand was an ōnusa with several shide streaming from it.

"Who are you?" asked Sam, putting a hand in front of Alyssandra as she stepped behind him.

"My name is Maki," said the woman calmly, "I'm a Shrine Maiden at the Lost Tower nearby. I heard your friends scream, and I think I can help you find them."

"How do we know we can trust you?" asked Alyssandra, taking a step forward, "How do we know you didn't take them?"

"You don't," came Maki's simple reply, "But you also don't have much of a choice. If you want to save your friends, you will need to hurry, and you will need our help."

"Our?" asked Alyssandra curiously.

Maki turned around, facing off towards a nearby path that led off into the darkness, presumably towards the Lost Tower. "Come. Bring that stone you were bestowed by the blonde one. You will not need more," said Maki, slowly disappearing as she continued down the path. Sam went to protest, but Maki cut him off.

"My sisters and I have been watching your encampment since you arrived," she said simply, "They shall keep your belongings and your Pokémon safe. Now hurry."

Sam and Alyssandra looked at each other but weren't given much time to decide. Maki had disappeared off down the path and was still going no doubt.

So, the two grabbed their ball belts, and Sam shoved the Odd Keystone in his pocket, and then the two dashed off down the path towards Maki and towards the Lost Tower.

"Come," said Maki in her calm, whispery tone.

She had led Sam up into the Lost Tower; tall stone obelisk tower that poked its way up into the sky like a massive needle. The sides of the obelisk shaped tower were carved with glyphs and images that Sam couldn't see clearly in the dark, but he assumed were Pokémon and people.

From what Sam knew of the Lost Tower, it was a tall grave. Pokémon were interred outside at marked graves, and inside, their ashes were interred in labelled urns and in-wall mausoleums.

The Shrine Maidens, also known as Channelers or Shamans, maintained the graves at the Tower, and kept the spirits of the Pokémon pacified and calm.

They were originally a group from the Kanto Region—with even deeper origins in the Johto Region—specifically from Lavender Tower, where they had performed much the same role at the infamous Pokémon Tower there.

Maki had led Alyssandra and Sam from their camp, down the dark and narrow path, travelled by few but those who knew where to look for the Lost Tower.

Once they had arrived at the tower, Sam was surprised to see how many Shrine Maidens there were. Many carrying ōnusa, some chanting in front of graves, others burning incense on and cleaning them, and even more still just keeping watch along the path, with lanterns hanging from poles in one hand and ōnusa on the other.

The Shrine Maidens looked like they were standing a constant vigil, as if keeping watch for some sort of enemy attack.

Once at the Lost Tower, Sam and Alyssandra were led inside, and then up several long, tall, exhausting flights of steps until they had finally reached the highest room on the highest floor of the tower.

There Sam and Alyssandra came face to face with several Shrine Maidens whose eyes were covered by a single strip of white cloth, and red eboshi hats with red strings tied beneath their chins. Their long hair was tied back and plaited into a long braid that extended down their backs to below their waist—like all Shrine Maidens.

Each Shrine Maiden, or at least as far as Sam could remember from the history books, had a ring of metal clamped around a part of their braid to indicate certain achievements, each ring being differently coloured to signify different achievements.

There were rings of metal for how many years of service a Shrine Maiden had under her belt, rings indicating acts of bravery or loyalty, and many more Sam couldn't remember.

These girls each wore a gold ring where their braid began, followed by a red ring, then another gold and another red. A black ring, a white ring, and finally another gold ring followed these rings. A few of the girls had a silver ring beneath all of other coloured rings they wore, but the silver rings were few and far between.

These girls stood, ōnusa in their belts and shakujō staves held in hand as if they were soldiers standing guard.

Maki led Sam and Alyssandra down the rows of these blindfolded girls towards a dais with a long silk curtain that divided the main part of the dais from the rest of the room. Behind the curtain burned two braziers of flame and between them sat a shadowy figure as if in meditation.

Maki knelt down before the curtain, and the figure behind, and placed her head to the floor.

"Great Mother, I bring guests," said Maki, a tone of great respect in her voice, "They were in possession of an Odd Keystone."

The figure behind the curtain shifted slightly, and then spoke. "Gifted to them by her?" asked the figure. It sounded like a woman.

"Yes, we believe it was given to them as foretold," responded Maki, "It has awakened one by its presence here alone."

"So, this Keystone definitely has its matching pair in the vault then?" asked the figure.

"Yes, it is more than likely," responded Maki, her head still hung low, "These two are only part of the group that was in possession of a Keystone. The others were taken by it."

The figure did not respond to Maki, but instead stood up and moved a hand. The curtains parted instantly, revealing an old woman sitting on the dais between the two flaming braziers. She dressed just the Maidens that were guarding her, with the exception of the blindfold.

Her hair was the longest Sam had ever seen, going down so that the tip of the braid just slightly dragged on the ground behind her as she walked. The entirety of it, except for the very end of the braid, was covered in several, well-polished gold clasps that clanked and jangled as she walked.

"You are?" asked the woman as she approached Sam and Alyssandra. The woman wore a kind smile, with her wrinkles creasing as her eyes shone with a warmth and kindness.

"I'm Alyssandra," responded Alyssandra.

Sam took a moment longer to gather his thoughts, but soon introduced himself as well.

"I see, wonderful names. I am the Great Mother—my real name is not important, I have gone without it for so long," the old woman smiled, she placed a hand on each of their shoulders, "I lead the Shrine Maidens of the Lost Tower and have for several decades."

"A pleasure to meet you," said Sam calmly, "I do have a few questions though."

"You want to know what's going on, and you want to know who these girls are standing around me like a personal vanguard, correct?" asked the Great Mother with a smile.

"Mind reading?" asked Alyssandra curiously, to which the Great Mother let out a chuckle.

"No, my dear, logic," she responded smiling at Alyssandra, "It's what anyone would ask in your situation."

The Great Mother passed between Sam and Alyssandra and turned towards the right wall. As she approached her wall of guards, they parted to allow her through.

The old woman scoured the wall as if looking for something; Sam didn't know what it was, but moments later a doorway opened up in the wall leading to a small lift elevator that seemed to be operated by a chain.

Everything was happened so fast for Sam, despite him trying to keep up, each answer led to another question, and it didn't help that questions were also leading to more questions as well.

"Come. I have much explaining to do, and we have little time to waste," said the Great Mother calmly; "It is best if I explain while we go, if we are to rescue your friends in time."

Sam looked over at Alyssandra, who simply grabbed his hand, entwining her fingers with his, and looked at him with a reassuring smile.

"Come on, let's go," she whispered to him, "We'll go together. We have to save Jeremy, Niya and Pikachu."

Sam nodded, given newfound strength by Alyssandra's touch and reassurance—and also some newfound nausea as well as the object of his affection was now holding his hand.

The two teens filed into the small opening and onto the elevator. Maki followed close behind, and then the Great Mother came last, the stone door closing behind her with a loud thud after everyone was assembled.

"I suppose I shall start with the easiest question first," began the Great Mother not moments before the elevator gave a lurch and began to descend down into the unknown, "The girls you saw up there were known as the Kagemusha Elite. They are the best at pacifying angry spirits—human and Pokémon—and they have spent their entire lives training. The red and gold rings signify their status as Kagemusha Elite, while the black ring signifies their two decades of service, for Kagemusha Elite are chosen at birth. The white ring signifies that the girls have passed the final test of any Kagemusha and taken the Final Vow."

"What's the Final Vow?" wondered Alyssandra.

"And what do those silver rings mean?" added Sam, curious in his own right.

"Those silver rings, Sam, signify an act of bravery or service that is worthy of commendation. As for the Final Vow, it is the vow all Kagemusha Elite take after they are ready to become fully realized, followed by ritually blinding of them. These girls cannot see, not by conventional means anyway, and that is why they wear the blindfolds," explained the Great Mother, "A Kagemusha Elite never removes her blindfold once she has had her eyes removed. They also swear oaths of chastity, in order to remain pure for their job fighting the restless spirits of the dead."

"Don't all—" Alyssandra began, to which the Great Mother responded quickly and pre-emptively.

"Yes, we all take oaths of chastity, but while a regular Shrine Maiden may retire at any time in order to start a family, a Kagemusha Elite can never retire. They are born Kagemusha Elite, and they shall die Kagemusha Elite, such is their tradition," the Great Mother explained proudly, "This is how it has been for centuries, and how it will always be."

Sam had so many more questions to ask about the Shrine Maidens. They seemed like such a harmless, unsuspecting order in the history books, but from what Sam was learning, there was an air of mystery about them, an unknown quality and mysticism that made them seem fantastical and magical.

But there was always a great tragedy about them as well, and it put Sam on edge, and made him wary.

These Maidens were powerful and secretive, and if angered, they were dangerous; that much Sam could figure out by himself.

The rest of the elevator ride was spent in silence, but with each passing moment Sam could feel another question come to mind. He didn't even notice when the lift gave a slight lurch as it touched the ground.

They were at the bottom of a hole, probably underground, with a dimly lit tunnel stretched out before them.

Still no one said anything. Not Maki, not the Great Mother, nor Sam or Alyssandra. It was another silent walk down the corridor. Sam practically bit off his tongue every time he had a question, knowing that each minute he wasted with another question was a minute lost towards saving his friends, and that was paramount.

Besides, Sam had a feeling no one was going to answer any more questions—at least not the kind that Sam had in mind. They were more than likely too personal for the Shrine Maiden's; too many secrets would be revealed, and of course without secrets they would no doubt lose some of their intrigue to Sam.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, but was probably closer to a ten-minute walk, the group emerged into a well-lit chamber—relatively well-lit anyway, for torchlight.

There were four Kagemusha Elite standing in the room, at the entrance and at the far wall where a large stone door stood sealed.

Sam noticed that the walls were made of a smooth black stone. It looked like it had once been polished regularly, and indeed in another time long forgotten it might have been, but age had worn down these walls and exposure to human hands was what made them this smooth nowadays.

There was a beauty to them though, and they were carved with all sorts of images and pictures, some Sam recognized as Pokémon, others he might've thought were people. It was hard to make out, as the designs were so stylistic. Sam saw what might've been a Pokémon battle, but he wasn't too sure.

There was something else about the walls; they were marked with writing that looked like the alphabet, but there was something different about them. They looked stylized, or changed, primitive. Each letter looked like they had little eyes; a single, solitary, unblinking, unfeeling eye in the middle of each letter.

Then there was the door; the massive stone door at the other end of the antechamber.

It was the same black stone as the rest of the room, and only the small, barely visible seam between the door and the wall gave it away as an entrance. It wasn't carved with any letters or pictures that Sam recognized, but of a shape.

In the centre of the door there was a white, marble sphere, small, the size of a large toy marble, set in an alcove in the door. Arranged around it in a triangle seemed to be a pearl, a diamond, and yellow gem that Sam thought might've been citrine.

They were connected to each other by engraved lines that formed the sides of the triangle, and then each of the gems were connected again to the white marble sphere in the centre, the engraved lines sprouting from between two sides of the triangle on each side.

Arranged in a larger triangle around the other were three, small red gems that looked like rubies. They were also connected to each other to form a triangle, but not to the centre sphere of marble, instead they were each connected by a single straight line to the inner three gems that formed of the corners of the smaller triangle.

All together the shape looked like a weird triangle within a triangle, but he knew it stood for something else. It had to with how much detail was put into it…but…what?

Sam did not have time to dwell on these thoughts however, as he drew his attention away from the carvings as the Great Mother started to speak again. Part of him regretting that he would not have time later to examine these carvings, as he would most likely never be allowed down here again.

"It is time I told you everything that is going on; we do not have long, and I have kept you in the dark long enough," she stated matter-of-factly, "Your friends have been taken by a powerful ghost Pokémon known as Spiritomb."

"Spiritomb?" asked Alyssandra, "What's that?"

Maki walked over to the wall and pointed to a picture that looked like a swirling galaxy with a face. It seemed to be projecting itself out of…something small and round, with a crack down the middle.

"It is a Pokémon that was created thousands of years ago; predating even our order," explained Maki, "They were created by the ancient Sinnoh Tribes during the wars that got them banished from Mt. Coronet. The tribe that would eventually settle down in Solaceon town was known for its mystics and shamans, and they used their powers to bind one hundred and eight vengeful, angry spirits to a single, carved rock and use it against their enemies."

"Of course, they inadvertently created a being that would become a Pokémon by doing so," continued the Great Mother, "But no one knows exactly how. What we do know is that the rock they took from—which itself is found only on the highest peaks of Mt. Coronet—was cracked down the middle, and the spirits were bound within that crack."

"So, you're saying our friends were taken by a mystical man-made ghost Pokémon?" asked Sam, to which he got an affirmative nod from Maki and the Great Mother, "Why though? What did we ever do to it?"

"After the war between the tribes, and after the tribes had been pushed from Mt. Coronet, the Spiritomb became not only a hard to control liability, but obsolete," explained Maki, "There was no war, and therefore no need for the Spiritomb. They are vengeful spirits, even when bound to the stone—perhaps more so. Too many accidents happened because of a weapon they no longer needed."

The Great Mother walked over to the other wall, and then pointed to a picture that seemed to show a group of people hiding small, round objects inside of a vault.

"They locked away the Spiritomb inside of the chamber just ahead," continued the Great Mother, "And just as an extra precaution, paired each Spiritomb up, and placed a curse upon them, so that they would only awaken when both halves of the pair are near each other. So, they built the vault, and this chamber, and then buried it beneath the ground. They marked it with the Hallowed Tower, which is now in ruins, in case a great calamity would require them to dig up their own weapons in times of great need; of course, they never did."

"The tribe left half of the each of the pairs behind and took the other half with them. They moved farther north to their now permanent settlement of Solaceon Town and sent the Spiritomb they brought with them as far away from the vault as possible. They buried them all over Sinnoh, some being as found as far away as the Hoenn Region. Some remain hidden, but some have been discovered by accident, or on purpose."

"Tried as they did, the Solaceon tribe could not erase the legend of the Spiritomb and people continued to look. Every time a Spiritomb senses its other half, it awakens and seeks it out, along with the poor travellers who hold the Keystone. They will try to consume the souls these poor people. That is why if we do not get to your friends soon, they will be gone forever; they have only until sunrise."

"That sounds…well it sounds a bit nutty, but then again, we've seen weirder things happen I suppose," said Sam frankly, "One more question, if I may. Are you saying because we possess this Odd Keystone, sorry, this Spiritomb, that our friends were kidnapped by its other half?"

Maki and the Great Mother nodded.

"We have done our best to reunite the halves and pacify them whenever one would turn up," said the Great Mother as she looked towards the vault door, "The blonde one who gave you yours helped us with that task once, and she must've found another and thought you worthy of the task as well."

"Cynthia knew about this?" asked Alyssandra in disbelief, "Why would she send us here with the Odd Keystone if it was so dangerous?"

"Perhaps she did not foresee the Spiritomb attacking, or perhaps she thought you would arrive at the Lost Tower before anything happened; still it is possible that the blonde one was not sure it was even authentic," said Maki calmly, "Regardless of her reasons, we know now that it is a real Keystone, and it must be reunited with its other half, and both Spiritomb defeated and pacified so that they do not pose a threat to anyone ever again."

"So, what do we need to do?" asked Sam with determination, "Throw open that door and go in guns blazing? So, to speak."

The Great Mother let out a small calm laugh and returned to Sam and Alyssandra to explain their mission. "No, no, you cannot defeat a Spiritomb like that," she said calmly, "You will enter the vault once my girls open the door, when you do, you will see the bodies of your friends, but do not approach them! They are meant to lure you there as a trap, so the Spiritomb can take your souls as well. Instead, you will look to the right wall; it will be covered in alcoves. You must seek out the third alcove from the ground, and the fifth one in from the entrance. Place the Keystone in the alcove next to its pair. It will summon both Spiritomb in their physical forms, and when they appear, my girls shall weaken them with our rituals."

The Great Mother placed her hands within her sleeves, and then drew them out a few moments later, producing two Poké Balls; at least they looked like Poké Balls. They were covered in small writing that was no doubt meant to bind the Spiritomb within the Poké Ball, and they were pure white instead of red and white.

"A special creation of ours," smiled the Great Mother, "When we give you the signal, use them on the Spiritomb and they shall be yours."

Sam and Alyssandra took the Poké Balls and nodded their understanding. Their hearts were racing, pounding out of their chests, but they weren't scared—not entirely—they were excited. They'd never done anything so supernatural or cryptic as this, it was like solving a mystery.

There was a certain thrill to it; the only fear came out of a worry for their friends' safety. The lives of Jeremy, Pikachu and Niya depended on their success, and if anything went wrong, it'd be a very lonely, guilty filled journey home.

"Girls, open the door," said the Great Mother with a newfound hardness and confidence, "And be alert. Once the door opens, anything can happen. Once you see that Spiritomb, you must strike with vigilance!"

"Yes, Great Mother," was the response from the four girls who guarded both entrances.

As Sam and Alyssandra approached the massive stone door, Sam got one final glimpse at the odd pattern of triangles and gems before it slid down into the floor at the pull of one of the torches.

Sam and Alyssandra were the first in the room, followed by the four Kagemusha Elite, then Maki and the Great Mother.

"Remember what she said," whispered Alyssandra, "Right wall, fifth alcove in, third one from the ground."

Sam nodded and took the Keystone from the outstretched hand of one of the Kagemusha Elite, who had passed it to him from the Great Mother.

"I'm ready," said Sam to Alyssandra, holding the Keystone tight in his slightly sweaty palm, the Poké Ball given to him by the Great Mother in the other hand. The two teens walked down the sandstone room, across the thick slabs of tile that made up the floor, and past rows and rows and columns and columns of alcoves. Some were empty, some held matching pairs of Keystones, and some had only one.

Something about all the carved faces of the Keystones, and the Pokémon within, watching him made Sam uneasy but he pushed on. He froze for a moment when he saw the unconscious bodies of Niya, Jeremy and Pikachu lying at the other end of the hall by an altar, but he forced himself to keep going, a task made only easier as

Alyssandra grabbed his hand and squeezed tight, giving Sam the courage to keep going—and herself as well. Together, hand in hand, Sam and Alyssandra pushed onwards towards the alcove.

They walked past a beam of light that seemed to flow down from a distance through a hole in the ceiling, which Sam only assumed was from the remains of the Hallowed Tower.

Finally, after what seemed like an even longer eternity than the walk through the tunnel to get to the antechamber, Sam gave a deep breath, and reached his hand out, slowly, and carefully.

The Kagemusha Elite were already in position to get the two Spiritomb once they appeared, and Sam knew it was now or never. He placed the Keystone down in its spot in the alcove gently and froze as he waited for something to happen.

At first there was nothing, and Sam thought he was in a horrible dream, then there was a blast of air, and Sam and Alyssandra were thrown backwards in the chamber, landing on the ground.

They took a second to recover as their senses returned, and they saw that a Spiritomb had emerged from each Keystone. Each was a part of the Keystone itself, emerging from the crack in the two rocks, and levitating themselves and it high in the chamber.

Alyssandra let out a quick yelp, and even Sam felt himself go pale as he saw the two Spiritomb were inches from their face, but they weren't attacking.

Sam looked over at the Kagemusha Elite and saw that they were chanting furiously quickly, shooting a red beam of light from the tips of their shakujō staves, which were aimed right at the Spiritomb.

These beams kept the Spiritomb frozen and seemed to drain them of their power a bit, but it seemed to be extremely hard for the Kagemusha Elite to maintain their control without extreme focus and concentration as the Spiritomb shuddered each time it tried to break free of the hold.

"Quickly!" cried the Great Mother, who was—between encouraging words—helping the Kagemusha with their chant, while Maki sung and danced around ceremoniously, waving her ōnusa in an attempt to pacify and calm the other Spiritomb and assist the other Kagemusha in their concentration.

Sam and Alyssandra looked for their Poké Balls given to them by the Great Mother; it seemed Alyssandra still held hers, but in the burst of wind that knocked them back, Sam seemed to have dropped his.

Rushing as fast as he could, Sam got to his feet, dashed to the edge of the room, and grabbed the white, marked Poké Ball. He held it tight in his hand, and gave it a kiss for good luck, then threw it with all his hopes and prayers and strength at the frozen, weakened Spiritomb.

There was a burst of light and Sam and Alyssandra covered their eyes. When they looked next, the red beams had enveloped the violently shaking Poké Balls, and the fervent chants of the Kagemusha had quickened and grown even more fanatic.

The Great Mother ceased her assistance and quickly ran to the Poké Balls, placing two paper seals over the button that released the Pokémon and over the seams of the Poké Ball. This two-fold seal on each Poké Ball ended its violent rocking, and the orbs grew still and the chamber silent.

Three of the Kagemusha fell over, the one that remained standing was extremely exhausted and was bleeding from her nose.

Maki, who ceased dancing immediately, ran over to each of her sisters to ensure that they were alive and well. When she was satisfied that they were okay, she told the Great Mother that she was off to fetch medical attention, as well as food and water for the exhausted Kagemusha.

The Great Mother wiped sweat from her bow, let out a deep breath, and prayed calmly for a moment before picking up the two Poké Balls and walking over to Sam and Alyssandra.

"I will need a little longer to truly cleanse these two Pokémon of their rage and malice, but when I am finished, I shall send them to you. Do you plan on heading to Solaceon Town next?"

Sam nodded, out of breath from the adrenaline rush he was coming off of. "Yes. It'll be another day or two until we're there, and we should be there a few days once we arrive."

"I've got a contest," explained Alyssandra, "And I know Sam wanted to check out the Solaceon Ruins. Besides after this I think we've all earned a small break."

The Great Mother smiled and touched the teens on their shoulders. "A wise choice," she agreed, "When I am done, I shall send your new Pokémon over to the Solaceon Pokémon Centre."

"Wait, wait, you want to give us those dangerous Pokémon?" asked Sam in disbelief, "I thought we were just going to leave them here in the vault?"

"No, no, of course not!" laughed the Great Mother, "No, we do not lock them up in here. Once they are cleansed, we either care for them ourselves, or we give them to worthy Trainers like yourselves. That is how Cynthia came into hers, and how you will come into yours. We would like them to learn what it is like to be around people and Pokémon, to replace the hate we take from them with love and caring."

Sam and Alyssandra looked at each other, not sure of what to make of what they were being told.

"Once their malice is removed, they are not bad Pokémon," explained the Great Mother, "I will not force you to take them if you truly do not wish to, but I ask that you consider it."

Sam and Alyssandra looked at each other again and came to a silent agreement. "Send them over once they're ready. We'll care for them," said Sam calmly, his breath finally returned.

The Great Mother gave a kind smile, her wrinkles becoming more pronounced as she did, then gave a hug to both Sam and Alyssandra briefly before she resumed speaking.

"Now go see to your friends," said the Great Mother, motioning to the stirring bodies of Pikachu, Niya and Jeremy, "Make sure they're all right and our healers will look after them once they arrive. You may return to your campsite when you're done. We've given you some fresh supplies for the trip to Solaceon, and we'll have a guard detail placed around your campsite for however long you wish to recuperate from today. Those guards will also act as an escort to Solaceon Town, so you will not have to worry about anything else happening to you while you're travelling. You've had a hectic enough trip as it is."

With that, Sam and Alyssandra could not help but agree, and so they left the conversation there and rushed to their friends' sides to ensure that they were okay and to reassure them that medical attention was on the way.

To this day, none of them could make sense of what had happened that night at the Hallowed and Lost Towers and have kept the secret closely guarded between them and only their most trusted of friends, though this would not be the last time a legacy of the past, or the Shrine Maidens, would cross paths with them.


	47. 45 - Battle with a Little Brother

~ Chapter 45 ~

Enzo Returns, Battle with a Little Brother

" _Everyone needs a rival. Rivals push you to do your best whenever you're with them. They make you work hard, and they push you to get better even when you think you're the best. For some people, your rival is also your friend. I remember when we were younger Jeremy and I served as each other's rivals; we still do. It keeps us on our toes. Some of the best rivals, however, are siblings. You can't escape them or their achievements as easily as you could a friend. This was always the case with Lyss. She would always be compared to her older sister, who was Sinnoh League Champion by the age of eighteen, and then her brother Enzo, who had left home two years before we did. He spent years travelling the Pokémon World and raising Pokémon. He was a capable Trainer; still is in fact. Ever since he showed up on Route 209 and challenged Lyss to a battle, she's been trying to surpass him."_

The group gathered around in a circle, excited to see what was going to happen.

No one had seen a Pokémon egg hatch, with the exception of Sam, but even he was excited to see his Eevee egg hatch.

The egg had shaken and shuddered consistently since last night. Ten minutes ago, the egg started glowing while the group was eating breakfast, and now everyone was waiting for the egg to hatch.

Finally, with one last shake, the egg glowed white and then burst open and, in its place, stood two, confused, curious Eevee.

Alyssandra fawned over the cute new Pokémon and ran to get her own Eevee so it could meet the two new additions to the team.

Sam picked both of the Eevee up, surprised, but not shocked that two Pokémon had come out of a single egg.

"Is that normal?" asked Niya curiously.

Sam stroked both Eevee as they snuggled up against him, feeling their long bushy tails. "Sometimes," he responded, "It's not common by any means; about the same chances as finding a Shiny Pokémon, but it does happen."

Niya nodded in understanding, and she too petted the Eevee once they had warmed up to the idea of leaving their new "mother."

Alyssandra returned soon enough, her own Eevee in her arms, and she placed it down in the middle of the group to see the other Eevee.

Sam's two Eevee looked at each other, then at Sam, then to Niya, and then down to Alyssandra's Eevee who sat there, happily swinging his tail back and forth in a friendly manner.

Wary, yet curious, Sam's two Eevee jumped from Niya's arms, and slowly crept towards Alyssandra's Eevee. They sniffed each other, and after a few moments of curious exploration, the three Eevee began playing with each other; pouncing, nipping ears and tails, talking, and so much more.

Pikachu attempted to initiate friendly relations with the Eevee, but when one of them tried to bite his tail while the other went for his ear—a sign of affection among Eevee but aggression between Pikachu—the Pokémon promptly returned to Jeremy's shoulder, static building in his cheeks and clearly in a bit of a bad mood.

Sam was pleased to see his Eevee getting along so well with another Pokémon. The moment was cut short however, as two Kagemusha Elite marched towards Sam and the others, holding the arms of another person in their grasp.

"We discovered this person looming around the edge of the encampment," said one of the Elite, "He told us his name is Enzo and he knows you."

"Yeah, he does actually," said Niya, smiling, reminiscent of the last time she saw Enzo. It had been too long.

"How've you been Enzo?" asked Sam calmly, Enzo's arms still in the clutches of the Kagemusha Elite.

"Well, you know, not too bad. Travelling around and stuff," responded Enzo casually, a calm smile on his face, "I just came back from the Kanto Region a few weeks ago, and when I spoke with Valentina the other day, she told me I could find you guys somewhere on Route 209."

"She failed to mention the bodyguards I imagine?" smirked Jeremy.

"I take it you do know him then?" asked one of the Elite, unsmilingly, constantly vigilant, her blindfold replacing any emotion eyes would normally give off.

"Yes," said Alyssandra, half enthusiastically, "He's my brother."

The Kagemusha Elite nodded and released Enzo, then marched off towards their positions at the edge of the camp, their shakujō staves jingling as they walked.

Enzo sat himself around the fire with the rest of the group, the three Eevee playing harmlessly at their feet, unaware of anything that was going on.

"So, you guys finally started your Pokémon Journey huh?" asked Enzo, straightening out the rolled-up cuffs of his green shirt. Enzo looked like his sisters, in the sense that all bore a family resemblance.

Lightly tanned skin, brown hair—though Enzo's was a bit shaggier than his sisters'—and even Alyssandra's green eyes. Enzo wore a green button-down shirt over a black sweatshirt, as well as brown cargo-pants suspended by a belt that looped twice around his waist. The second loop hung looser than the first and held six Poké Balls.

"Yeah, we left Twinleaf a few months ago," explained Jeremy, "It was an accident actually, but a happy one."

"Most adventures are, aren't they," laughed Enzo nostalgically.

"You said you just came back from the Kanto Region?" asked Sam, pulling his Eevee away from the fire, as the two new-borns didn't realize that it was dangerous.

"Yes, I just got back a few weeks ago, and I've been travelling around ever since," explained Enzo; "I spent a year in the Kanto Region, exploring it at my own pace. Fought a few Gym Battles, but never wanted to take on the Elite Four. I just like exploring and catching Pokémon; meeting new people too!"

"You always were a free spirit, even as a kid," laughed Niya, "I bet you made a lot of friends."

"I did," nodded Enzo, "Pokémon and humans alike. So how about you guys, tell me about your travels!"

Sam gave a small laugh and relaxed on the log he was sitting on. "Buckle down, it's a bit of a long story."

Sam, Niya and Jeremy began recounting their adventures to Enzo. They explained how Sam had run into his Starly, and how the group met Professor Rowan and were given their own Pokémon. They explained their travels across Sinnoh, their countless run-ins with Team Galactic, and how they found herds of living, ancient Pokémon in Oreburgh Gate.

They talked about the misadventures on Route 205 and Eterna Forest—leaving out Sam's weird dreams, opting only to say that he was sick—and explained how the group was reunited just in time to take on Team Galactic again in Eterna City. The group talked victories and defeats; Contests and Gym battles won, and all the laughs and fun along the way.

"Well that certainly explains why you have bodyguards," smiled Enzo, "You guys get into more misadventures and trouble with bad guys than most action heroes."

"I don't know if we bring this upon ourselves or if it seeks us out personally," replied Sam with a sigh, "But we take it as it comes."

Enzo let out a laugh. "Looks like my big sister's trying to catch up with me." Alyssandra sighed and stood up, walking off towards her tent.

"Please, don't," she said discouraging anyone from coming after her.

Everyone looked at one another, taken aback by Alyssandra's sudden anger. "Lyss, are you okay?" asked Niya, calling after her friend.

Alyssandra turned around, anger clearly on her face and stepped towards her friends and brother. "Yeah, I'm fine, don't worry about me," she hissed, "My kid brother is only a seasoned world traveller and the pride of my parents. It's not bad enough I'm always being compared to Valentina, constantly being told I should be like her, but apparently, I also need to be told I should be more like my kid brother. My _kid_ brother! I'm supposed to be projecting my shadow over you, but now I'm living in the shadow of two my siblings! So, you know what, no, maybe I'm not fine! Maybe I'm sick and tired about how both of my siblings are doing so much better than I am!"

At that, Alyssandra stormed off towards her tent, zipping the door up behind her.

The three Eevee that played at the foot of the fire pit stopped playing long enough to stare with confusion, and in the case of the two younger Eevee, a bit of fear, as Alyssandra disappeared into the tent.

"I'm sorry Enzo—" Sam started to apologize to Enzo for his sister's outburst, but Enzo raised his hand and stopped him.

"No, it's all right," smiled Enzo with a wave of his hand, "I should have expected this might happen. Valentina said our sister felt that way about her not too long ago."

"It's not your fault," continued Niya, trying to make Enzo feel better.

"But in a way, it is," smiled Enzo sadly, showing he was not upset, even if a bit hurt, "I'm not the one who keeps comparing her to me, but I should've been a bit more sensitive about it. I know Alyssandra's always wanted to go travel and see the world, ever since she saw Valentina do it. When her time came though, she stayed for her friends. It didn't help when I went off also and started doing all these great things, and she spent years not only in Valentina's shadow but in mine. She does have a right to be angry."

Sam felt something strike a chord in him. He knew that Alyssandra had only stayed because of him, and the more they travelled and the older he got, the worse he felt about it.

Sam had done it to Jeremy too, but Jeremy hadn't lived in anyone's shadow, and hadn't suffered as much as Alyssandra for it—though Sam still felt guilt about keeping both his friends back regardless.

"The fault lies with me then," said Sam quietly, his voice laden with guilt, "I'm the one that kept her—both of you back." Sam pointed to Jeremy too as he spoke.

"Hey, I don't mind," shrugged Jeremy, "I probably wasn't mature enough to leave when we first had the chance anyway. Besides, I wouldn't have liked travelling alone."

"You could've gone with Lyss," responded Sam.

"Yeah, but it wouldn't be the same without you. I'm glad we waited," smiled Jeremy reassuringly.

"Now tell Lyss that," said Niya plainly, slightly dampening the mood.

"I'll go talk to her," said Sam, standing up before Enzo could, "If you go Enzo she might get angrier."

Enzo laughed a bit. "An angry Alyssandra is never good as far as I remember."

Everyone nodded or chuckled in agreement as Sam approached the tent. He stepped lightly as he neared it, then called out to Alyssandra, hoping she would responding. When she didn't, Sam tried again.

This time she unzipped the tent, grabbed Sam's arm, and pulled him in before fastening the entrance once again, all in the blink of an eye.

"It's not your fault," she said as Sam sat down beside her, "Okay? I chose to stay, and I should've just learned to deal with my choice."

"How did you—" started Sam, but Alyssandra kept going.

"You guys are hard to ignore," she smiled a bit, brushing some hair behind her ear, "I'm sorry I got mad it's just—"

"I understand," smiled Sam, "I don't have siblings, but I can kind of grasp at what you're feeling, if even only a bit."

"Thanks," smiled Alyssandra, leaning forward to give Sam a hug, "Should I go out there?"

"It's up to you," shrugged Sam as he approached the door, "But if you do, play nice okay? I leave this situation in your hands now."

With that, Sam stepped from the tent and back out into the campsite. He returned to the fireside, where he saw Enzo talking to Niya, Jeremy and Pikachu about his travels through the Kanto Region and his reasons for returning to Sinnoh.

"Any luck?" asked Niya as Sam came back, to which Sam shrugged. He wasn't entirely sure, but he had a feeling that Alyssandra had gotten enough anger out to return. Or so Sam hoped.

Of course, by some stroke of luck, Alyssandra did return soon enough, her ball belt slung across her hips. She looked determined, and she looked ready to prove a point.

"Enzo," she said walking up to her brother, "I'm sorry about what I said earlier."

"No, it's okay," smiled Enzo, understanding of his sister's feelings, "If you had left before me, I'm sure our situations would've been reversed, and I'd be the one angry at you and Valentina."

"It still wasn't fair for me to get mad at you for something I chose," responded Alyssandra sincerely, "I chose to stay behind, and I shouldn't be upset at you for it. Instead, I'm going to make things right, by pulling myself out of your shadow, and make a name for myself."

Enzo gave a wry grin, as if he knew what his sister was getting at. Enzo reached towards his belt and grabbed a Poké Ball from it.

"Three on three sound good?" asked Enzo.

"Why not six on six?" retorted Alyssandra as she followed her brother towards the edge of the campsite, clearing it away of branches and leaves to make an impromptu battlefield.

"My Pokémon are a tad bit stronger than yours," said Enzo simply, "If three of your Pokémon can take down one of mine I'll be surprised."

"We'll see," responded Alyssandra defiantly, grabbing her first Poké Ball. Giving it a kiss for good luck, Alyssandra prepared to throw the Poké Ball.

The battle was delayed momentarily as Sam, Jeremy and Niya jumped into the mix.

Niya proclaimed her role as the judge of the match. Since Niya had spent years training as a Coordinator and a Trainer with her Gym Leader aunt, Fantina, she had the most skill out of everyone to keep an eye on the quick-paced action.

Pikachu jumped from Jeremy's shoulder and ran over to Alyssandra's. He climbed up her leg, over her bag, and up her back to her shoulder, where he stood perched, giving his support to his friend.

"Hey Pikachu," smiled Alyssandra, given confidence from the sudden show of support from her friends and from Pikachu, "Ready to be my good luck charm?"

"Pi-ka!" replied Pikachu, the enthusiasm clear on his face. There was one thing no one could deny, and it was that Pikachu loved a good Pokémon Battle, whether he was in it during a training match or watching one.

"I'd call him a traitor but…I think Lyss is going to need all the help she can get," murmured Jeremy to Niya and Sam.

Niya nodded. "I hate to sound like I don't believe in her, but Jeremy's right. Enzo has been out travelling and training his Pokémon for years, and you guys have only been at this for a few months. It's not going to be much of a match."

Sam laughed a bit, with a laugh that seemed to know more than he was letting on.

"What?" asked Niya, curiously.

"I don't think Lyss is in this for the win, not yet anyway," Sam explained, "She knows she can't beat Enzo right now, but she's still going to prove her point. That she won't take this lying down. She meant what she said. Lyss is going to make a name for herself, and this is just the start."

Sam looked at Lyss with pride and admiration. Never had she looked more attractive then when she was burning with passion and desire. Confidence and a never-give-up attitude were always attractive on Alyssandra to Sam, and her natural beauty was only a plus for him.

The battle was on within moments of Niya calling for it to begin.

Alyssandra started the battle by sending out her Piplup, and Enzo retaliated with a small smile and a Machamp. Alyssandra gritted her teeth, wondering how her Piplup could possibly go up against a Machamp, and even Pikachu let out a low squeak, as if anticipating difficulty. But Alyssandra had made her vow and even if she was going to lose today, she wasn't going to lose without putting up the biggest fight she could.

"All right, let's try not to get too close to Machamp. They're Fighting type Pokémon, meaning that they're good with close range combat," Alyssandra said to her Piplup, "So let's keep things as ranged as possible. Start off with an Ice Beam!"

Piplup reared back and let off an Ice Beam aimed directly at Enzo's Machamp. The Machamp, bulky as he was, was able to dodge fast enough.

A second Ice Beam came, hitting him square in the chest. The Machamp was pushed back a few inches, but barely flinched as the attack hit him head on.

Sam suspected Enzo let this one land instead of calling for a dodge to prove a point to Alyssandra, but whatever the point was its meaning was lost in Alyssandra's determination.

With a smile, the Pokémon did as Enzo commanded and began charging towards Alyssandra's Piplup.

Piplup panicked a bit as Alyssandra also lost her cool, but Pikachu's quick, "Pika-pi!" snapped her back into her focused, level headed mindset.

Despite some difficulty at times, Alyssandra always tried to focus on Sam's advice. Remaining calm so she, and her Pokémon, could battle with clear, level heads. When she had calmed herself, the idea finally hit her.

"Piplup, use Ice Beam on the ground at Machamp's feet! Quickly!" she cried.

Time was of the essence, and the longer it took for her to respond the closer Machamp would get to Piplup, and the sooner it would attack. Piplup let off a few Ice Beams, the first few times missed as Machamp managed to either jump or duck out of the way of the sudden patch of ice in his path.

But the last time, Alyssandra was smart, and shot two nearly consecutive Ice Beams. The first, Machamp dodged just as planned, but the second was shot at the patch of earth that Machamp was planning to land on, just as he was about to touch down.

There was no time to respond, and nothing could help Machamp avoid what came next, as he landed on the ice expecting hard ground, and instead slipped, falling flat on his back.

Alyssandra took the time to keep striking. "Piplup use Brine! Stun Machamp while he's down!" cried Alyssandra, hoping to gain the upper hand in these crucial few moments.

Piplup shot a jet of salty water from its mouth, and the attack landed, pinning Machamp to the ground for a few minutes longer.

The Brine had dazed Machamp as some of the blast caught it in the chest at high speed, knocking the wind from him.

Alyssandra knew to take advantage of a downed opponent and called for Piplup to continue the attack. "Now go in for a Fury Attack while it's down!" Piplup did as Alyssandra asked and rushed in fast towards Machamp.

"Use Vital Throw Machamp!" Enzo responded, but it was too late.

Alyssandra's Piplup had already landed on Machamp's chest and was pecking at his face and chest with incredibly fury.

As the attack subsided, Sam felt a pounding in his chest, as he knew what was coming. Niya knew it too, but Jeremy and Alyssandra hadn't realized Enzo's ploy.

"She needs to get Piplup out of there," said Jeremy, "Before Machamp gets up and attacks."

"She can't," said Sam with a shake of his head, "It's too late."

"Why?" asked Jeremy, anxious to be privy to the information Sam had.

Niya simply pointed to the battle, bidding Jeremy watch and see. Within seconds of Piplup finishing her Fury Attack Machamp was retaliating. He grabbed Piplup with one of his four arms and, after a quick spin, threw Piplup low and far.

Piplup flew a few feet, smashed into the ground, and continued to roll and bounce for a few more feet afterwards until it finally came to a halt, unconscious.

"But your attack didn't hit in time, how did your Machamp do that?" asked Alyssandra in disbelief, running over to her Piplup to ensure her safety while Niya called the round for Enzo.

"That's what Vital Throw does," explained Enzo, "You allow your opponent to strike you first and get in close. Then you strike back immediately after. It throws your opponent off guard by making them think it's safe to attack and they have the upper hand."

Sam couldn't help but smile as he remembered Valentina, disguised as Luxray Girl, doing the same thing during the tournament. She made it look like her Luxray had taken a hit, making Sam think it was safe, and the struck while his guard was down.

There was no denying that Enzo was as skilled as his oldest sister, and Sam didn't doubt that Alyssandra, with some more practice, could be just as strong as Valentina, if not stronger.

"Hang in there Lyss, you've still got two more Pokémon!" cried Niya, trying to encourage her friend to keep going.

Alyssandra wasn't going to give up though, and after thanking her Piplup and giving it a big hug, returned her to her Poké Ball and drew her next one.

"Pika-pi. Pikachuuu," said Pikachu solemnly as Piplup was returned to her Poké Ball.

This time, Alyssandra was going to hit a little harder, and called on her Lopunny to combat Enzo's next Pokémon.

Enzo withdrew his Machamp, and tossed his next Poké Ball into the air, releasing an Alakazam onto the field.

"Alakazaaaaam!" roared the mighty yellow Pokémon as it awaited her Trainer's instructions.

"Calm Mind Alakazam!" cried Enzo.

Alyssandra took a moment to think of a strategy, knowing Jump Kick wouldn't work on Alakazam. The move was Fighting Type and the opponent was Psychic. But a Shadow Ball would work very well.

With a wry smile, Alyssandra called for a Shadow Ball. Lopunny put her arms out in front of her and prepared a ball of shadow energy. Within moments it was ready to fire and shot from Lopunny's hands towards Alakazam.

The enemy Pokémon did not move though, and simply remained there, floating, her legs crossed in meditation and eyes closed.

The attack struck Alakazam, and knocked her back onto the ground, and the Pokémon laid there, eyes still closed, humming gently as it tried to focus on something.

Alyssandra knew better this time though, and didn't dare to get close to Alakazam, just in case it was another one of Enzo's tricks.

Instead, Alyssandra had Lopunny fire a Shadow Ball at Alakazam, knocking the Pokémon back further.

She lay there on her back, big and yellow, eyes still closed, humming growing louder. It showed no sign of being in pain from any of the attacks it took but Alyssandra was no doubt doing some kind of damage.

For the third time, Alyssandra had her Lopunny fire a Shadow Ball, but this time Alakazam did not take it lying down.

Instead, she shot up from the ground, landed on both feet, with her eyes open. As they opened, a wave of energy and air erupted from her, and knocked the Shadow Ball away, dissipating it into nothing.

"Good job hanging in there Alakazam," smiled Enzo, proud of his Pokémon for enduring so much, for this _was_ a risky gambit, "Now use Telekinesis!"

"Alakazam!" cried the Pokémon as she raised her spoons high, lifting Lopunny off the ground.

The rabbit Pokémon was surrounded in an aura blue light, and lifted high off the ground, suspended, and flailing like a fish out of water. She couldn't move, couldn't attack, and couldn't get down.

Lopunny was stuck and was now at the mercy of Alakazam.

Alakazam and Enzo wasted no time in attacking, and instantly followed up the Telekinesis with a Psycho Cut, and then another. Then, just for an added touch, right as the Telekinesis began to wear off, Alakazam forcibly lowered Lopunny to the ground, slamming her hard into the dirt, knocking her unconscious and rendering the Pokémon unable to battle as well.

"Calm Mind may have taken a while to charge, but it upped Alakazam's attack strength," noted Jeremy, "I remember learning about that move back in Trainer School. It can tip the scales of a battle if used right."

Niya nodded in agreement after she, once more and with a heavy heart, called the round for Enzo. "And the Telekinesis was a great touch," she noted, "Putting Lopunny out of commission long enough for Alakazam to take advantage of its newfound strength and then to use the last bit of strength from Telekinesis to finish Lopunny off. Ingenious."

Alyssandra clenched her fists and after picking Lopunny up in her arms, giving her a tight squeeze and thanking her for battling so well.

Lopunny was then returned to her Poké Ball, and Pikachu nuzzled Alyssandra's cheek, trying to cheer her up, and keep her spirits high.

With a long sigh, Alyssandra reached for her last three Pokémon, pulling the Poké Ball from her belt, and holding it tight in her hand.

"You sure you don't want to give up now?" asked Enzo, trying to egg his sister on, "I won't judge you if you do. You've battled well, but I don't think you'll beat me."

"Even if I don't beat you, I'm not going down until all three of my Pokémon have put up a good fight," stated Alyssandra with an iron determination in her voice, "Now send out your last Pokémon and let's get this round started."

Enzo nodded and with a quick flick of his wrist, having already recalled Alakazam, sent out a Venomoth on to the field.

Alyssandra wanted to change her choice, but her hand was already on the Poké Ball and her mind made up.

With a hefty toss, Alyssandra released her Cherrim and the small Pokémon, feeling the rays of the sun on its body, bloomed into her Sunshine Form.

"Cherrim use Double Team, then follow it up with a Magical Leaf!" called Alyssandra, determined to get at least one win in today.

Cherrim acknowledged her Trainer's command and instantly went into a Double Team, spinning in a circle around the enemy Venomoth, creating several clone versions of herself as she spun.

The clones and their original circled Venomoth and launched their Magical Leaf attack, striking at Venomoth from what seemed to be all sides. Though a Grass Type move wasn't incredibly effective against a Bug and Poison Type Pokémon, in quantity, it would be enough to do some damage.

Besides, all attacks known by Cherrim were Grass Type attacks, so Alyssandra did the best with what she had.

Venomoth took the hit but didn't seem that affected by it.

Instead, Enzo thought for a moment, and waited through another round of Magical Leaf to formulate a plot. He didn't like making his Pokémon take unnecessary damage, but in this case, the damage done to Venomoth was minimal enough that a few seconds of thought could be afforded without any unnecessary injuries being incurred.

"Venomoth, use Gust to blow away the images and incoming leaves!" called Enzo. Venomoth did as he was asked, and using his silken wings blasted gusts of air towards the spinning images of Cherrim.

The Magical Leaf attacks were knocked back and the clone images of Cherrim disappeared in an instant, while the gusts of wind knocked Cherrim back, doing some fair damage in the process.

Flying Type moves were super effective on Grass Type Pokémon after all.

Alyssandra gritted her teeth and went to prepare another attack when Enzo swooped in for another round of attacks.

"Use Sleep Powder, then quickly follow it up with a Gust to blow the spores towards Cherrim," was Enzo's command to his Venomoth, to which the Venomoth happily obliged with a robotic warbling cry of, "Venomoth!"

Blue dust billowed from the flapping wings of Venomoth, followed by a Gust attack that blew the Sleep Powder directly at Cherrim, instantly putting the Pokémon to sleep.

The Gust ensured that the spores reached Cherrim so that they couldn't be dodged.

Sam couldn't help but praise such a strategy, it was cunning, and it was effective. It used the strength of one move to help another, and even if the Sleep Powder did miss, the Gust could've been used to cause some damage instead. Enzo could've made a good Coordinator if he hadn't become a Trainer.

Cherrim fell asleep, and Alyssandra felt her hope waning.

"Pi-Pikachu!" cried Pikachu, as if telling Alyssandra not to give up, but it was hard not to resign herself to a defeat this way.

Cherrim was asleep and Enzo was already prepared to take advantage of this opening. With Cherrim fast asleep, Enzo had Venomoth strike her with a Signal Beam, a super effective Bug Type move against the Grass Type Cherrim.

Followed then by a Gust attack, also super effective, knocking Cherrim back further as she bounced across the ground.

Enzo's next attack would finish the match, and with Cherrim still asleep, there was no denying the outcome.

Enzo had Venomoth finish off with a Zen Headbutt, causing his forehead to surge with a psychic power, which was then slammed into Cherrim.

Injured and exhausted, Alyssandra chose to withdraw her Cherrim, saving her undue injury while she slept. As she withdrew Cherrim, Alyssandra couldn't help but thank her Pokémon heartily for everything she did during the fight.

"It wasn't your fault," Alyssandra whispered to Cherrim, "We'll get stronger together. Don't worry Cherrim. Thanks for doing a great job."

Alyssandra returned the Poké Ball to her belt, and Pikachu nuzzled her cheek again, trying to cheer her up. Alyssandra only smiled and scratched Pikachu between his ears, then looked over at Enzo.

"You won," was all she could say, "But I stuck to my word, and next time we meet, I'll beat you."

Enzo smiled and walked up to his sister, then gave her a hug. "You did a good job too," said Enzo sincerely, "I'm proud of you for sticking to your word. You'll beat me one day, just keep training."

Alyssandra nodded, determination returning to her face. "I won't give up until I do. Mom and Dad are going to talk about me more than they talk about you by the time I'm done," she stated loudly for everyone to hear.

Pikachu jumped from her shoulders and ran back to Jeremy's as he, Sam and Niya approached the two siblings.

"You did well Lyss," smiled Sam, "You just need more practice battling, but you did well!"

"Thanks," smiled Alyssandra, brushing some hair behind her ear.

"I agree with Sam," continued Jeremy, "You keep training with Sam, Niya and I when we battle, and you'll get better. You'll see."

Enzo gave a sly smile, and then put his arm around his sister's shoulder. "Maybe you should marry the Accardi over here," he joked, "Marrying into a rich family like that will definitely get Mom talking."

Alyssandra turned a light shade of pink and pushed her brother away. "Stop kidding like that," she protested, "Sam's just my friend. Besides, if I _were_ going to marry him it wouldn't be for his money. I'm not like that."

Enzo burst out laughing, and then sighed a bit as he finished. "Well, with that battle over, I really should get going," said Enzo, walking back to the camp to grab his bag, "I'm supposed to be meeting someone in Hearthome in a few days, so I'm heading back to Solaceon Town to take the Eastern Sinnoh Rail there. It'll be about a day or two back there so."

"We understand," smiled Niya as she picked up Sam's two Eevee and began to play with them on her lap, "It was great to see you again!"

"You guys as well! Keep an eye on my sister okay?" he smiled as he walked towards the edge of the camp.

"You take care of yourself and I'll worry about me," Alyssandra called after him.

He raised his hand and gave the peace sign before disappearing off down the road, no doubt under the watchful eye of the Shrine Maidens who guarded the group's camp.

"You okay Lyss?" asked Sam after a long silence.

Alyssandra nodded, smiling widely from ear to ear. "Yes, I'm perfect," she exclaimed, "I now know what I'm capable of, what Enzo is capable of, and where I need to improve when it comes to my skills in battle. I'm going to work extra hard now to make sure my Pokémon are just as battle ready as they are Contest ready, and the next time I see my little brother, I'm going to win."

"And after you win?" asked Jeremy curiously.

"Then I beat Valentina," said Alyssandra simply, the fires of determination burning so bright that it rivalled the sun.


	48. 46 - Solaceon, The Next Contest

~ Chapter 46 ~

Solaceon, The Next Contest

" _The remainder of the trek to Solaceon Town was uneventful. It was another two days of walking, and it was spent relatively peacefully. We gave the Rapidash a break, besides, there weren't enough for the Shrine Maidens who were escorting us, and we weren't going to make them run to catch up. Once we arrived at Solaceon Town we decided to have a well-earned break. We were going to spend a week in Solaceon Town no matter what. I even splurged a bit and checked us in to a nice hotel on the main street of town. I planned to see the Solaceon Ruins while we were in town too, but first thing was first: Alyssandra's Contest. That took priority, and she spent the two days we had between our arrival and the contest to train as hard as she could and practice her combinations. We all pitched in and helped too; which made her win even sweeter for all of us to enjoy."_

Alyssandra chewed her bottom lip as she waited for her name to be called.

The Appeal portion had begun not too long ago, and Alyssandra was presenting towards the end.

It wasn't a big contest, and Solaceon Town wasn't a big place. There were only eight competitors; a shock to Niya who expected there to be more people participating in contests in the months leading up to the Sinnoh Grand Festival.

Sam merely chalked it up to the popularity of Pokémon Contests in larger cities. Jubilife and Hearthome were major cities whose contests many people were likely frequent, and even Floaroma Town, being as scenic as it was, was popular amongst Pokémon Contest enthusiast and Coordinators alike.

Whatever, the reason, it meant for Alyssandra that her mistakes would be noticed easier, as there were fewer participants vying for the ribbon.

"You're going to do fine, Lyss," assured Niya, patting her friend on the back, "You've trained long and hard for this."

Jeremy nodded in agreement. "You always get nervous before a Contest and you always pull through a win in the end."

"Chu-Pika!" piped in Pikachu, for once not munching on an Oran Berry.

"It's just like when I get nervous before a Gym Battle," added Sam, "You'll do just fine. Don't doubt yourself. You've got the skills; you just need two more ribbons to qualify for the Grand Festival anyway."

Alyssandra let out a "meep" and chewed her lip more fervently. "Way to go there, Mr. Sensitive," sighed Niya who walked Alyssandra off to the side to give her a pep talk.

Jeremy let out a chuckle, and Sam simply sighed and shook his head.

"Your intentions were good my boy, but your delivery needs work," Sam's grandfather blurted out as randomly appeared beside Sam.

Sam let out a yelp and jumped, causing Jeremy and the rest of the hall to look at him strangely.

"Sam are you okay?" asked Jeremy, worry written plainly on his face.

Sam nodded and let out a sheepish laugh. Passing it off as a sudden chill he felt, not expecting it he was unnerved. "I have to go to the bathroom, I'll be back," continued Sam quickly, before further questions could be asked.

Sam walked briskly towards the bathroom, and once he arrived, he locked the door behind him. His grandfather walked right through the wall like it wasn't even there.

"Where the hell have you been?" demanded Sam, not angry, but clearly not thrilled at his grandfather's now-you-see-me-now-you-don't act.

"I've been busy," explained Aurelio, shrugging, and very clearly trying to avoid the subject.

"You're dead, what could you possibly be doing that's so important?" asked Sam, astounded.

"I don't know, read? Have me time?" asked his grandfather rather rhetorically, "Don't question your elders!"

Sam let out a sigh and leaned against the countertop, facing the mirror and sink. There was a pause, then another sigh. "I could've really used some advice you know," said Sam calmly, "Between dealing with the Spiritomb and the Black Claw Gang."

"Yeah, I heard about that," said Aurelio, coming over to stand behind his grandson, "You've had a rough week."

"How did you hear about it?" wondered Sam, "No one else except me can see you."

Aurelio flushed pink, clearly caught in some kind of lie or slip of the tongue. He opened his mouth several times, only to close it, the whole time speaking in a jumbled mess of syllables.

"What did I just say about questioning your elders?" was what he finally decided to go with before turning away towards the door.

"There's something going on you're not telling me," said Sam calmly, yet with a sense of purpose, "And not just now. My whole life I think."

"I don't know what you mean," said Aurelio simply, again avoiding the subject.

"There's something you won't tell me, or can't tell me," continued Sam, pressing his grandfather for information, "What is it? Does it have to do with dragons? Why am I having strange dreams about them?"

"Sam don't," warned his grandfather, "I can't—I don't. Don't"

"What's wrong with me?" demanded Sam further, "Why can I see ghosts, and dream things that I've never seen before? Why, when I shook Alexios' hand, did I feel like I entered a whole other world? How was that even possible?"

"Don't ask me what I can't tell you," said Aurelio sternly, "I can't, and I won't. It's not my place."

"So, there _is_ something different about me?" asked Sam, still trying to get some kind of affirmation.

"Maybe," was all Aurelio said, "And that's all you're getting out of me."

Sam leaned back against the wall, and then sank to the ground till he was sitting with his knees against his chest. "When will I be able to know more?" asked Sam, almost content with what he had learned.

"I don't know," shrugged Aurelio, "Whenever the person who is going to tell you feels you're ready."

Sam was tempted to ask who it was, and though he had his suspicions, he kept his mouth quiet. "That's good enough for me," said Sam, conceding defeat, "For now anyway."

"Well, that's good, because that's all you're going to get for now," smiled Aurelio, offering his hand out for Sam to take.

Sam took it and was lifted from the ground on to his feet. "Come on now, my boy," smiled Aurelio, "You're going to miss Alyssandra's appeals. I already cost you the one in Hearthome, I won't cost you another one."

Sam laughed and the two walked from the bathroom.

Sam didn't have all the answers he wanted, but he had enough to hold him over for now. He just hoped he wouldn't have to wait too long to find out the truth.

"And now, for our final contestant of the day, Alyssandra De Rossi!" cried the Contest announcer.

When her name was called, Alyssandra walked out on to the stage—still nervous to the core. The small audience of friends and family members of the other contests and interested citizens of Solaceon watched her intently. So, did the judges.

Two of the judges Alyssandra didn't recognize, but she assumed they were recognized members of the community, alongside the local Nurse Joy.

Now was her turn to Appeal to the judges, and Alyssandra knew there was no turning back, once the announcer finished her introduction; that was her moment.

"Alyssandra hails from the quiet little hamlet of Twinleaf Town," explained the announcer, "She's currently travelling the Sinnoh Region with her friends and has so far won a ribbon at the Hearthome, Jubilife and Floaroma Contests, and has come here today to achieve her fourth ribbon!"

There was a customary applause from the audience, and then, the announcement that she was to begin her Appeal.

This was it.

With a deep breathe, she brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, and then released her Roselia onto the stage. "Go, Roselia, time to shine!" she cried.

Roselia responded cheerfully and energetically, excited, and eager to do well during the Appeals.

Alyssandra had never used Roselia, formerly her Budew, in an actual Contest before, but she knew she would have to eventually, and Alyssandra felt that now was the time.

Alyssandra's first command was simple, to use Magical Leaf.

Roselia obliged and fired several multi-coloured leaves in a rainbow of colours from her flowery hands. The petals flew around the arena, swirling in all sorts of colours, shining in the spotlights like a fluid rainbow.

"Keep it up Roselia!" cried Alyssandra, remembering the training she went through with Roselia so that the Pokémon could maintain the attack like a puppet show.

"Selia!" responded Roselia, aware of what was to come next.

This was the hard part. Roselia would need to concentrate on the Magical Leaf and continue it while she focused on another move entirely.

"Now use Grass Whistle and maintain that Magical Leaf, just like we practiced!" continued Alyssandra, keeping a calm head just like Sam had taught her.

"Roselia!" cried Roselia in a short, sharp tone.

Roselia produced a single leaf in one of her hands and placed it to her mouth. She blew against the leaf, and created a melodic, buzzing noise. Roselia played her Grass Whistle with ease, playing a song that enthralled the audience and kept them all silence.

As the music played, the Magical Leaf before began to dance and take shape. It turned into a rainbow-coloured dragon and flew across the arena, out over the crowd, circling around the judges and then Roselia and Alyssandra.

Then it slithered into a snake and slid across the stage floor where it danced in tune to Roselia's music.

The music reached a crescendo and the snake split into two separate swirling vortexes of petals, which reformed into two rough reproductions of a Kirlia.

The two Pokémon danced and leapt across the stage with grace and elegance as if real Kirlia stood before the audience, entertaining them.

When Alyssandra finally had Roselia finish off her tune, the music died out in a low hum, a single solitary note, and the Kirlia flew apart as the petals burst out from the stage and hung above the audience for a moment.

Roselia released her control of the Magical Leaf, and the multi-coloured leaves fell like snowflakes over the audience, showering them.

People cheered and screamed and whistled and hooted. Several shouted for an encore, and everyone reached up to try and grab one of Alyssandra's petals before it hit the floor or fell into the hands of another audience member.

The judges stood up and clapped fervently, and behind the stage in the waiting area, Niya, Sam, Jeremy and Pikachu cheered like they were mad, hugging each other at Alyssandra's perfected Appeal.

The plan for the Appeal was a group effort, everyone adding a bit to it until it became what it was now. Everyone had helped Alyssandra practice and prepare and finally it had paid off.

All that was needed was the call from the judges.

Even Aurelio cheered for Alyssandra unreservedly. "Was that all her idea?" Aurelio whispered to Sam.

Sam waited until his friends were distracted by the judges' opinions before responding. "For the most part yes," explained Sam, "We all helped add to it."

"Ingenious," smiled Aurelio, "You guys have perfected teamwork."

Sam let out a small chuckle as he looked back at the screen to see the verdict. "Yeah, most of the time," he whispered before returning to silence.

Nurse Joy and the elderly couple had been muttering amongst them calmly for the last few minutes and were finally ready to weigh in on what they had just seen.

First came the elderly man, whom the announcer called Hideo Yamamoto. His name garnered a massive response from the crowd, and Alyssandra was embarrassed that she didn't know who he was.

"I've seen many well-trained Pokémon in my years," began Hideo, "But this is truly remarkable. I understand you just became a Pokémon Coordinator in the last few months correct?"

Alyssandra nodded in response.

"Very well done indeed," clapped Hideo, spinning around to encourage the rest of the audience to clap as well, "You must either have a very natural skill at raising Pokémon, a very good teacher, or some lucky combination of both. Either way, I will not be surprised if you reach the Grand Festival. You get a nine from me."

"Thank you," responded Alyssandra, hiding a blush from being flattered.

There was an applause, and then the elderly woman, introduced as Hotaru Yamamoto, Hideo's wife, stood up to speak. She received the same warm reception as her husband, and again Alyssandra was lost as to whom she was, though made a point of finding that out after this Contest was over.

"My words are the same as my husband's," smiled Hotaru, "You've got such skill, and for me it's not a question of _if_ you'll make it to the Grand Festival, but _when._ I look forward to seeing great things from you, Ms. De Rossi. You get a nine from me as well."

Aurelio looked in nostalgic amazement at the TV screen as Hotaru and Hideo spoke. "It's good to see him again," he smiled, "I'm sorry to say I didn't get to visit Hideo as much as I would have liked as I got older, but I always thought about him. He looks well respected."

"You know him?" asked Sam, curiously.

"Of course!" responded Aurelio, as if shocked that someone hadn't, "And you should too, being an Accardi."

Sam looked confused, and Aurelio didn't wait for Sam to ask why.

"Your grandfather mentored him! Taught Hideo everything he knew about Pokémon Breeding; hell, once he made it big, your grandfather gave Hideo the loan he needed to get started," explained Aurelio passionately, "He runs what he calls a 'Pokémon Day Care' right here in town. They care for, raise, and help train Pokémon for people for short or extended periods of time. They even breed Pokémon for people. I know he wanted to pass on the art but from what I recall your grandfather made Hideo promise not to pass on what he learned from the Accardis to anyone but his family. Hideo had to get permission to even teach his wife after they got married."

"My family always did guard our secrets very well," smiled Sam, though he knew his father's father would've relented for Hideo's wife. He was a good businessman, but he wasn't heartless.

"He's about my age if I remember correctly," smiled Aurelio, lost in his memories, "I met him when Rowan and I travelled across the Sinnoh Region. We were passing through Solaceon Town. He was just a kid like us then; he was so full of spirit and ambition. I'm glad he followed through."

According to Niya, as Sam had zoned out the last little bit of the judge's thoughts to speak to his grandfather, Alyssandra slid by with three nines, and was among the lucky four contestants to pass on to the first—and technically second last—round of Battle stages.

Alyssandra returned shortly, her Roselia in her arms and her friends crowding around her, cheering for her and her success.

"Now you just have to win the Battle Portion and you'll be on your way to your fifth ribbon," exclaimed Jeremy.

Pikachu cheered as well, shouting his name as he hopped on top of Alyssandra's shoulder and began to nuzzle her cheek.

Though Alyssandra was cheering on the outside, part of her knew not to get cocky. It wasn't over yet, not by a long shot. She still had at least two battles ahead of her.

Alyssandra looked at her opponent; a young boy, maybe two or three years younger than her. From what Alyssandra could gather, he was a local, and judging by the small town and the fact that the boy shared his last name with two of the judges, she was going to guess they were related.

Genji Yamamoto was how the announcer had introduced him.

They had seen each other Battle in the previous round and Appeal in the first half of the Contest over a TV screen, but for the first time in the Contest they had now come face to face.

Alyssandra had no personal feelings about him and couldn't say she liked or disliked him; the two had hardly spoke, but now they were standing there, facing each other, a Roselia against a Machop.

The fight had just been started, and the two were taking a few seconds to prepare an attack method, one that looked good but still held up in a battle. Alyssandra had an idea; it was risky, but she was sure she could make it work.

Alyssandra took this nervous young boy's hesitation to strike.

"Roselia, we're going to turn your Appeal into an attack, sound good?" asked Alyssandra, a smile on her face as she felt a confidence surge through her.

"Roselia!" cried the Pokémon in response, knowing exactly what she had to do. Alyssandra's sudden attack left the boy a bit speechless, giving her time to strike.

He had seemed nervous in his last battle, and this one, being the battle that could win him the Ribbon or not, added to the fact that he was performing in front of his family only made the nerves worse.

Alyssandra felt bad for taking advantage of his nerves, but this was a competition, and Alyssandra wanted this victory.

"Roselia, you know what to do," said Alyssandra confidently, "I'm leaving this in your hands. I trust you."

"Selia!" replied the Pokémon, once more producing a leaf, and placing to her mouth.

The Grass Whistle began again, this time the tune was less whimsical and majestic, and instead was more frantic and quick-paced, matching the mood of a Pokémon battle.

Then, with her free hand, Roselia produced the multi-coloured leaves of death known as Magical Leaf. Roselia started off small, not wanting to garner too much grandiose and ruin the charm of the build-up.

She shot several leaves towards Machop, striking the Pokémon, and causing Genji's points to go down slightly.

By now Genji's nerves had been overcome enough for him to strike back and he instantly called for his Machop to attack with a simple Karate Chop attack.

Roselia countered without Alyssandra even having to say a word however and formed the continuous flurry of leaves into a storm that surrounded Machop and impeded his progress to his target.

Each time he thought he neared Roselia, the leaves fluttered about and pecked at him like so many angry little birds.

Eventually Machop got distracted by the leaves and began to fight them instead.

The damage taken was minimal, but still added up to some lost points, and the distraction cost Genji even more.

Then, Genji had Machop use Low Sweep.

This time, the Machop's efforts paid off, and he was able to slip from the leaf barrage, using the wind from his Low Sweep to blow them away enough for him to slip through an opening and approach Roselia for an attack.

This lost Alyssandra a few points, as Roselia was unable to stop the advance of Machop.

Then Genji called for another Karate Chop, all the while Roselia's Grass Whistle music still matching up to the tone and pace of the battle. It sounded like a shakuhachi flute, blowing its tune at a climactic moment in a Kabuki drama.

Roselia was, however, able to dodge, and moved the leaves over in her place, to continue to confuse and slow the Machop.

More points, minor still, deducted from Genji, who was getting slightly annoyed at the constant barrage of leaves.

That's exactly what Alyssandra wanted though and was hoping to unnerve Genji and thus his Pokémon, making it easier to win the battle.

Roselia was smart, and Alyssandra knew this and trusted it.

The flute music continued and Roselia began to go on the offensive. She formed another Roselia from her Magical Leaf. A solid being that looked and acted like a rainbow coloured version of herself. She sent the clone Roselia to attack Machop.

The two clashed repeatedly.

Clone Roselia blasted a Magical Leaf—of course—at the Machop, which struck the Pokémon.

Machop then retaliated with a Karate Chop, which would break the Roselia apart temporarily before it fused itself back together again.

This went on back and forth. Dodging, striking, dodging, dodging, missing, fluttering leaves, defending. Points were being deducted from both Alyssandra and Genji until they were equal.

They were getting down to the wire too.

Their five minutes was now forty-five seconds and Alyssandra had to do something quick to gain the upper hand. Both Pokémon jumped back, Alyssandra calling for Roselia to "make it a grand finale."

Genji called for a Dynamic Punch.

This final strike would decide the match.

Roselia let loose as many leaves as she could, forming them into the head and snarling maw of a long, serpentine dragon.

The petal dragon and Machop lunged towards each other. The dragon breathing a wreathing flame of leaves and Machop's hand glowing like a shooting star as the two aimed to strike down the other.

Roselia's music had reached a furiously heightened pitch, blowing hard and fast, whistling with such intensity that Alyssandra was surprised she had not broken the small leaf with all the intensity.

The two moves collided and there was a bright flash of light, an explosion, a cloud of smoke and a rain of rainbow leaves, some burnt or smoking, others still intact, falling down over the stadium, its audience and judges as the dust settled.

There was nothing but silence; the last few notes of Roselia's music had ended, being drowned out by the sound of the explosion caused by the colliding attacks and then the buzzer.

There was another pause however before the announcement was made as the clouds of smoke started clear, revealing Roselia standing still, calmly, quietly, collected, and happy.

Machop lay not too far from her feet, unconscious and exhausted, unable to battle and completely immobilized.

Roselia herself was out of breath from the concentration it took to maintain that Magical Leaf, and from all the blowing required for the Grass Whistle.

The crowded roared, cheering for Alyssandra's victory as Genji, holding back his pride and his defeat, simply sighed and went to retrieve his Machop.

Thanking the poor Pokémon for fighting so hard and insisting that they'd "get the Ribbon next time."

Alyssandra had a feeling she had made a new rival at that moment and wished to speak to Genji before people began crowding her, but he had already slipped off behind the stage and was gone before she could notice.

The announcer shouted Alyssandra's victories across the stadium and onto all the radio stations and television sets broadcasting the match.

Sam, Jeremy, Niya and Pikachu were in a group hug, cheering and jumping around like crazy people in the waiting area and Aurelio was whooping like some majestic bird, knowing full well that only Sam could see him like this.

Everyone was proud of Alyssandra for her feat.

The judges stood up and clapped, reporters from the local newspapers and some new fans in the audience came up on stage to greet her and ask her questions, crowding around her, causing Alyssandra to set them straight and have them ask, in an orderly and calm fashion, any questions they liked.

It went on like this for a while, all while her friends waited in the wings.

"That was risky, repeating her Appeal as an attack strategy," said Jeremy, "So was trusting Roselia so blindly like that. Alyssandra didn't give a single command."

"Not as risky as you would think," explained Niya, "The Battle portion is a combination of looking good, but also about doing damage to your opponent. Points are deducted if your opponent does a particularly fantastic move or manoeuvre, or, obviously, if they attack you successfully. They can also be deducted if a move fails to work, or if it has the opposite affect that you intended, like a Sweet Scent sometimes throwing out a bad smell when a Gloom prepares for the spring."

"And as for the Roselia," continued Sam, knowing full well the magic of trusting in your Pokémon, "That would only have been dangerous had it failed. But I trust Alyssandra and Alyssandra trusted her Pokémon, so I doubt it would have. Pokémon have a funny way of understanding us better than we do them."

"Amen to that," agreed Aurelio to no one in particular, though Sam heard him and gave a small smile, containing the much larger outburst of pride he felt inside.

"I suppose you're right," said Jeremy thinking over what his friends had said.

He was a Trainer, but not as avidly as Sam, and though he watched and learned about Contests, he certainly wasn't a Coordinator. Jeremy loved being somewhere in the middle though; it gave him a chance to learn so many things and apply them both to his battle strategies.

Niya slung her arms around the boys' shoulders, and Pikachu, avoiding Niya's oddly strong grasp, hopped from Jeremy's shoulder to Niya's.

"Pika!" he cried as he settled comfortable on his new, albeit temporary, perch.

Everyone gave a small laugh, and Niya, her arms still around the boys, walked them towards the stage.

"Come on boys, let's go save Lyss from those reporters," said Niya, more dragging them along than asking, "Newspapers in a small town are more aggressive to get the best story than in the bigger ones. We'd better make sure they don't maul her."

"She seems to be doing all right for now," noted Sam.

"Yeah, for now," replied Niya before she finally dragged the two of them onto the stage.

Alyssandra's fourth win, though predicted and expected, was just as fun and thrilling as the rest.

She enjoyed the challenge, all of her new rivalries, and the people she met along the way. Most of all she loved her friends and the support they gave her. They made the victories truly possible; their belief in her, and that belief she put in her Pokémon.

Four ribbons down, one more to go; then it was Grand Festival time.


	49. 47 - Solaceon Ruins, Mystery of the Past

~ Chapter 47 ~

Solaceon Ruins, Mystery of the Past

" _We were lucky to visit the Solaceon Ruins at a time when no archaeological digs or academic studies were going on. Otherwise the entire place would have been roped off and restricted to surveyors and academics only. You have to wonder whether or not archaeology destroys more history than it discovers; but that's a discussion for another time. I couldn't even begin to imagine our contribution to the world of history, archaeology, and Pokémon studies when we first visited the Solaceon Ruins. I also couldn't imagine that we had started one of the biggest, longest running mysteries of all our travels. What we discovered in the Solaceon Ruins haunted us until at least the Johto Region. More on that later…much, much later…"_

Sam looked up at the Solaceon Ruins.

Three large, raised planes, flat on top, slanted sides. They were square in shape, with walls of smooth, brown sandstone. Windows dotted the side at regular intervals. Atop the raised plateaus were flat landscapes covered in clean-cut grass, stone pathways, and a large building, looking like a temple in the middle.

These three monuments were all that remained of the ancient Solaceon Town.

Few people knew exactly how many of these mounds existed at a single time in history, but it is known that the city itself was within the buried part of the mound. The windows marked hallways, rooms, and chambers within the ancient maze of rock and stone.

Atop, the temple and its grounds were no doubt temples used to worship the Legendary Pokémon that the ancient peoples of Sinnoh viewed as gods.

"Amazing isn't it?" asked Niya, her mouth curved into a smile.

She had been here before, back when she was travelling the Sinnoh Region for her Pokémon Contests. Back then though she was unable to visit the place up close, because of an archaeological dig that was happening.

Now this place had grown empty, for the time being anyway, and in a few weeks, at the height of summer, would be full of tourists from all across the regions, flocking to see what the Solaceon Ruins had to offer.

Eventually scientists and academics would return as well and rope off the ruins for an undisclosed period of time, until they'd found what they'd come looking for at least.

"Shall we go in?" asked Jeremy, curious to find out what the inside looked like.

"Pikaaaa," replied Pikachu, not so much answering as he was staring at these monuments in amazement. They were bigger than any of them could've expected or even imagined.

"Beautiful," said Alyssandra in amazement, looking up at these stone ruins in awe.

"Let's get going, before people start crowding the place," said Jeremy, walking towards one of the massive stone stairways that led up to one of the entrances, located in the side of the slanted wall of stone.

"The boy is very astute, Sam," stated Aurelio as he appeared behind in front of Sam and behind Niya as the group walked up the entrance to the ruins. Aurelio, as usual, had appeared from nowhere and without warning.

Sam had grown accustomed to it however, and no longer jumped when his grandfather made his presence known. Sam couldn't respond though, as his friends were around him. Of course, that didn't stop Aurelio from talking even more.

"The Solaceon Ruins," said Aurelio reminiscently, "I remember when Rowan and I first travelled here. The man nearly wet himself he was so terrified. Never did like ghosts or ghost stories that one…of course it didn't help that I kept jumping from random corners wearing one of my oni masks."

Aurelio let out a hearty chuckle and Sam concealed a smile.

He would need to bring that up with Professor Rowan the next time they spoke. Away from the hungry ears of any of his friends. There was no need to embarrass the man in front of everyone.

"Are we going to be splitting up to explore more of it at once?" asked Jeremy, pulling out a helmet with a camera strapped to it. Everyone had one in their hands and was in the midst of putting it on.

"I don't know about splitting up alone in a place like this," said Sam as the last of the daylight disappeared beyond the hearth.

They were now in the cold stone halls of old Solaceon, the only light pouring in from the evenly spaced windows located at long distances down all exterior hallways.

"You're right, it's too easy to get lost in this place," agreed Aurelio, "I recommend going in at least pairs. You all have first aid kits I imagine?"

"We should go in pairs," Sam parroted his grandfather, "We've got our first aid kits in case anything happens; flashlights too, and our cameras. Anything we find we can share with each other tonight using the footage."

Niya nodded as she turned her flashlight and her helmet camera on.

"We've got these walkie-talkies too," said Alyssandra holding hers up, testing it by pushing the button, causing static to echo from the speaker of hers followed by a beep as she released the button.

"It's too bad the Pokétch Communicator App isn't released yet, I heard it's going to be really cool, it would've been perfect," said Jeremy as he scratched Pikachu between the ears, "We could've saved some money on our equipment by not having to buy walkie-talkies."

"Don't complain too much, I paid for it," laughed Sam, "If anyone should be upset it's me. Besides, when the app comes out we'll have both just in case—that way we'll prevent another incident like the one in Mt. Coronet from happening again."

Everyone nodded in agreement, giving grunts of affirmation. That was not a pleasant experience, and everyone was positive that they never wanted to endure something like that again.

"From what I heard you guys had quite the adventure in that mountain," stated Aurelio, "Of course that mountain seems to be a curse for our family."

Sam also made a note to ask his grandfather about that later; it would prove for a good story this evening.

"So how are we dividing ourselves?" asked Niya.

Before anyone could answer, Pikachu jumped from Jeremy's shoulder to Sam's, with a "Pika-pi!" of proclamation, as if to claim Sam's shoulder as his new property.

"Well, we know whom Pikachu will be going with," laughed Niya, everyone else laughing along.

Pikachu was still finicky even though he was older now, but he was finicky in different ways. He knew for sure that he wanted to remain outside of the Poké Ball with his human friends, but it was always a mystery as to whose shoulders he would be standing on each day.

Pikachu was generous enough to take turns, even if the pattern was sporadic and non-existent. This was definitely not the same Pikachu they had met in Sandgem Town, who refused to leave his Poké Ball let alone Jeremy's side.

"Can I come with you Sam?" asked Alyssandra, "If you don't mind of course Pikachu."

"Pikaaaa!" squeaked Pikachu in delight.

No one was sure what Pikachu was fonder of, Oran Berries, Alyssandra or someone carrying Oran Berries.

"By all means, Lyss, you're always welcomed to come along," smiled Sam, all too happy to spend some time with Alyssandra.

"So that leaves me with Jeremy then," stated Niya.

"How come we're always stuck together?" asked Jeremy, feigning complaint.

"Bad luck," shrugged Niya before she walked off down the hallway.

Jeremy chuckled, then quickly ran to catch up with Niya.

"We'll meet you back here in three hours, keep an eye on your Pokétch!" cried Sam after his friends.

"Got it!" responded Niya, her voice echoing down the hallway as she got smaller and smaller.

"Don't forget to check in if you find anything, and every half hour just to be safe!" called Alyssandra this time.

It was Jeremy who responded next with an "All right!" before the two of them rounded a corner and disappeared, the last few sounds of Jeremy's voice carrying down the hallway.

"Shall we get going then?" asked Alyssandra as she looked at Sam.

Sam nodded and the two were off, walking down the hallway opposite the way Niya and Jeremy had gone. Not surprising to Sam, his grandfather had come along as well, no doubt to provide semi-comedic commentary to Sam's life that he never asked for.

The search through the ruins of Solaceon was mostly uneventful. The twosome kept walking, Pikachu sitting vigilant on Sam's shoulder, keeping an eye out for other people, Pokémon, or any possible threats to everyone as a whole. They searched rooms, found broken remains of pottery or some old stone furniture, a few curtains in rooms that were lucky enough to face the outside wall and be granted a window.

Then, out of nowhere, as the two teens walked down a flight of stairs into a new hallway Alyssandra spoke.

"Are you okay?" she asked, a tinge of worry coating her voice.

"Yeah, why do you ask?" wondered Sam, oblivious and unaware as to what Alyssandra meant. Though something in the far back of his mind was giving him a hint.

"I don't know, you just seem, a bit off lately," explained Alyssandra, careful not to trip over her words, "You disappear a lot randomly. You cry out in surprise—"

"—I haven't done that in a while, to be fair," said Sam defensively, knowing exactly where this was going.

"But still, that's not normal," returned Alyssandra, pressing the issue again like an army on the attack, "I've also noticed that at night now you go for walks more often after you're done with your writing for the day."

"I can't go for walks?" asked Sam with a light-hearted tone, hoping to avoid the topic of why he was talking to himself. Yet, Sam's life was anything but easy and his prayers were rarely answered, and of course, Alyssandra went there.

"I followed you the other day," said Alyssandra plainly, "You were talking to yourself in the park. I didn't hear what you were saying don't worry; I wasn't going to invade your privacy that much, but you were definitely standing there having a conversation with the air."

"You followed me?" asked Sam, not sure if he was offended or touched.

"I was worried about you!" said Alyssandra defensively, the two of them taking a left into a random chamber.

"I—" Sam stopped speaking as he froze, looking over at the walls.

They were covered in pictures and stylistic writing. The letters resembled something close to the modern alphabet, if one looked hard enough that is. Some forms Sam was able to make out just by looking at them, they were simple to translate into modern letters, but others were difficult or shaped in ways Sam didn't recognized.

Each of the letters was adorned with a circle containing a single, solitary dot in the centre. Something in Sam told him it was an eye, but of course he had no way of being sure.

"I've heard of this room," Aurelio said from the entrance, "It's the famed Room of Glyphs. Archaeologists say that the pictures here depict the history of the Solaceon Tribe, and that this room was sacred to them. But they don't know why it was sacred, or what the pictures are trying to depict"

Sam nodded and Alyssandra said much the same as Aurelio.

"This room has been fabled to hold secrets beyond compare," stated Sam in amazement.

"No one's ever found anything though, other than wall paintings and this odd writing," said Alyssandra kneeling down, scanning the wall with her eyes as she felt each and every chiselled groove with her fingers.

"What do you think Pikachu?"

"Piiiiiikaaaaaaa," said Pikachu in what Sam assumed was wonderment; even the Pokémon was taken aback at the beauty of this room.

Before now the teens had only ever seen pictures in history books at school, or in documentaries on TV, but now they were standing in the room, touching the walls with their hands. It was amazing; a living piece of history.

"I'm going to radio Niya and Jeremy," explained Sam, pulling out his walkie-talkie. He clicked the button and spoke into it.

"Niya, Jeremy, are you there? It's Sam. Over," called Sam into the microphone. There was a beep as he released the button and a pause as he waited for a response.

"We're here, what's up? Over," was Niya's response.

"We've found something, you're going to want to see this," Sam answered back, amazement clearly soaking into his words, "Are you near a map station? Over."

Another pause, a few minutes longer now, then a response,

"Yeah, we are now. Over," called Jeremy through the speaker of the walkie-talkie.

"Okay, now look for the Room of Glyphs on the map, meet us there when you can. Over," said Sam, hoping the directions shown on the map station would be straightforward. The sooner everyone got to see this room the better.

Sam didn't care that he hadn't discovered anything new at this point; he had found something special that, despite being public knowledge, was still a beauty to behold.

Niya confirmed that she and Jeremy were on their way, and Sam, Alyssandra and Pikachu continued to examine the room while they waited.

"Rowan and I came here once," said Aurelio, telling one of his stories again, "Brought a tear to my eye, I'm not going to deny it. It was beautiful; still is. Human ingenuity at its finest."

Sam nodded in his head, he couldn't agree more with his grandfather. Sure, to some it was just a bunch of carved pictures and letters from a dead language on a wall. But to Sam, and no doubt to his friends and even Pikachu, it was art. It was magnificent. There were no true words to describe the feeling they felt.

"May I give you some advice, Sam?" asked Aurelio.

Sam didn't respond, but he gave his grandfather a look that clearly meant no, yet, as Aurelio was wont to do, he spoke anyway.

' _I swear if the advice is to 'kiss the girl' again I'm going to scream,'_ thought Sam to himself.

"No, it's not kiss the girl," smiled Aurelio with a wink, "Not this time anyway. Got to pick your moments my boy. Anyway! I suggest you tell her about me."

Sam couldn't understand his grandfather's motives, but…Sam's thoughts and feelings seemed to be going through to his grandfather. Sam paused a moment, then tried responding, using his mind. _'Why would I do that?'_ thought Sam, screwing up his face to direct them towards Aurelio.

"Because, if she doesn't think you're crazy, it'll give you something to bond over," explained Aurelio, "She's probably the only one that'll believe you anyway. Except maybe Jeremy but you don't want to be cuddling up to him next to a fire while you explain this do you?"

Sam held back a chuckle at the thought, and then thought over what his grandfather said. For a man whose first response was usually sarcastic or comical, he was making an awful lot of sense.

Niya would get Sam clinical help. Probably because forcing to do it himself would not have any affect, and the only way she'd get anything done would be to do it herself. Jeremy, while he would believe Sam, was not Sam's exact idea of a confidant to talk to about this in the middle of the night. Alyssandra, of course, was the only other option—discounting Sam's Pokémon or Pikachu, but again, not ideal for Sam's grand plan.

Sam sighed, gathered up his courage and turned towards Alyssandra, who was examining a stone altar at the other side of the room. "Lyss?" called Sam, trying to get her attention.

She looked up, waiting to see what Sam had to say, but he never got to finish, as Jeremy and Niya walked in through the doorway. Pikachu bounding off of his shoulder and over to Jeremy, upon whose shoulder he now preferred to perch.

"It really is as beautiful as described," said Niya in astonishment as she beheld the room for herself.

Jeremy was speechless at what he saw and had no words to say.

Meanwhile, Alyssandra was back to examining the stone altar. It was decorated magnificently; there was even a little decoration on the side of the altar, in a pattern of triangles with gemstones all connected to form the triangles.

That's when it hit Sam, like a tonne of bricks in the chest. "It hit you too didn't it?" said Alyssandra with a smile of pure excitement, as she realized Sam noticed too.

Niya and Jeremy looked at them, surprised and lacking the same understanding. They were confused, but to Sam and Alyssandra it made sense.

Pikachu was confused as well, and even Aurelio didn't understand what was going on.

"We've seen these before," explained Sam, "Beneath the Hallowed Tower before we battled the Spiritomb. It took me a minute to realize it but—"

"—Me too!" continued Alyssandra, "The pictures, the writing, it's all the same! These are from the ante-chamber outside of the Vault of Souls!"

"Exactly!" cried Sam, who was allowed to go back down with Alyssandra and was given a crash course on the wall art. The pictures were the same, and while the Shrine Maidens would not let on whether or not they were able to translate the odd language beneath all of the pictures, they did describe some of the scenes shown on the wall.

One, Sam pointed out as he walked over to it, showed the banishment of the tribes from Mt. Coronet by the Legendary Pokémon who created the world. A white marble sphere set inside of a pattern that seemed to resemble light rays represented said Pokémon.

Then another scene, this time Alyssandra describing it to everyone, as the creation of the Spiritomb, followed by a scene depicting the building of the Hallowed Tower, then one that showed the creation of the Vault of Souls and the sealing of the Spiritomb.

There were still hundreds more panels not known to Sam and Alyssandra, but the ones they recognized they were able to describe in perfect detail.

Alyssandra had never felt such a burning passion for history before, but the mysteries of the past had begun to intrigue her at the Hallowed Tower, and slowly she too grew a love for one of the greatest puzzles known to mankind.

Sam then walked over to the stone altar, and examined the sides of it, which held a pattern that was matched on the wall behind the altar. The triangle patterns made of connected gemstones.

Sam wasn't sure what it symbolized yet, the Shrine Maidens were rather quiet about it, but he knew it was something important; the same gems, in the same order. This was no coincidence.

"That I _have_ seen before!" exclaimed Jeremy in realization, "At the ruins in Amity Square! Pikachu and I were there and in one of the buildings, the same one I lost his Poké Ball in. In the wall was the same pattern, with the same gems in the same configuration, only…"

Jeremy paused examining the pattern again. Everyone inquired as to what Jeremy was thinking, to which he responded. "There wasn't a white orb in the middle," explained Jeremy, to everyone's continued confusion, "It wasn't an orb it was…I think it was a metal figurine of some kind. I don't remember too well, I wasn't looking right at it, but I know it wasn't a sphere of marble."

"We need to go back there and look at it next time we're in Hearthome," said Sam affirmatively.

"What a wonderful mystery to solve," smiled Aurelio, stroking his beard pensively, "It's all coming together. Funny though isn't it? Hundreds of years of study and work, and the academic community can't find anything. Four teenagers barely experienced in the real world and they figure it out in minutes."

"The Vault of Souls…and the Shrine Maidens," said Sam, mostly to himself, but loud enough for everyone else to hear him, "They're the missing pieces to this puzzle; that or they hold the pieces. Either way, us having access to them means we were able to bring new information to this mystery that no one else could've."

"It also means we can't show anyone what we discover here. If we do discover anything," said Alyssandra firmly, "We swore an oath of secrecy remember? We promised not to reveal to anyone—present company excepted—what we learned at the Hallowed Tower."

Sam nodded, not willing to incur the wrath of the Shrine Maidens for the sake of fame, fortune, and glory. "So, what do we do with what we find?" asked Sam, "Keep it hidden? Leave it here? Take it with us?"

"We'll decide when and if that happens," said Niya simply, "Come on, let's keep looking for now."

The group kept exploring, looking around the room for more clues. Sam remained by the odd pattern of gems and carved lines and triangles to examine it further, when he read a small inscription nearby.

It was written in the mystery, unknown language. Academics called it U-Prime, Unknown Prime. The first and original unknown language to baffle the academic world. Since its discovery many more have appeared, and even more had been solved, but regardless this language had puzzled intelligentsia across the world no matter how many supposed breakthroughs had occurred.

Some believed it always would, that the language was not meant to be understood. Some of the letters were the same as the modern alphabet, sure, but that didn't mean pronunciation was the same, nor did it mean words were spelt the same. Words were spelt entirely differently. It was, after all, a whole other language.

This inscription though…it seemed to make something click in Sam. He felt a sharp pain in his temple as he read it and reread it and let out a gasp. His friends turned to look at him, but by the time they had reached him—in a matter of seconds—it was gone, and he was fine again.

Looking back at the inscription again Sam was surprised to find it made sense to him…nothing else in the room did of course, just this particular phrase. It was like looking at an inscription in his own language, even though he knew it was written in the U-Prime script.

The puzzle had been unscrambled, for this set of glyphs anyway, but the rest of the writing on the other walls remained blurry.

"Sam, what's wrong, what is it?" asked Alyssandra, worry returning to her voice.

There was a pause as Sam tried to make sense of what happened and then, out of curiosity, he read the phrase.

"Friendship…all lives touch other lives…to create something new and real," Sam read, his tone distant as his mind still tried to take in what had happened just now. As he read the words aloud something clicked in the distance, but Sam brushed it off as a random noise echoing through the hallways of the old ruins.

"What are you saying?" asked Niya, totally lost.

Sam pointed at the inscription at the wall. "That's what it says."

"How were you able to decipher that? No one, not even the greatest minds on the planet, have been able to crack more than a few basic letters," asked Jeremy in amazement.

Sam shrugged and shook his head. "I don't know, it just, sort of came to me. I think—"

Sam stopped, then his face grew puzzled as he stared hard at a stone panel in the wall just a few feet from the inscription. It stood out to him; literally. That must've been the click. Sam was sure of it.

The rest of the room had stones in line, perfectly placed in the wall so that no seams showed and there was a constant uniformity and flat surfaces as far as the eye could see, but this one stone was protruding just enough to make a difference to Sam.

Everyone followed Sam to the stone, even Pikachu and Aurelio who wanted to see where this would go. Pikachu stood at Sam's feet, while Aurelio's body phased through Jeremy's chest in order to get a better look.

"This stone is jutting out," said Sam thinking deeply about what he was going to do about it, and then he realized that the figures carved into the scene on the panel were sticking out enough to make a handle—four handles actually.

"I wonder," whispered Sam gently, "You guys, help me for a second. Grab one of the figures each and help me pull."

Everyone was too enthralled to see what would happen next to question what Sam was asking of them.

Aurelio just stared in amazement, hoping he would soon see something wonderful happen. Everyone did as asked, and grabbed one of the four figures in the scene, using them as a handle. Pikachu hopped onto Jeremy's shoulder, grabbed pawfuls of his shirt and yanked at that while everyone else yanked on the stone panel.

There was scraping sound as the stone panel scratched against the stones that surrounded it, and a lot of effort was put into every tug. Sweat beaded down everyone's foreheads, as the heavy stone panel refused to budge half the time.

Finally, after ten minutes of heaving, with one final pull, the panel popped loose. It was so heavy that it instantly hit the ground, everyone falling back onto the ground as they released the heavy rock.

Pikachu tumbled off Jeremy's shoulder and bounced against the ground a few feet away. The Pokémon dusted itself off, shook its fur of dirt and after brushing the top of its head, tail, and ears into a neat arrangement of short, static charged fur, returned to Jeremy's shoulder.

"Well I'll be," Aurelio exclaimed as he looked at where the stone panel had once been, "It's a chest!"

Aurelio was correct.

Behind the old stone panel was a small alcove, and in the alcove sat a small wooden chest. It was locked tight, but a key sat beside the chest, which no doubt opened the old iron lock.

"Quickly, let's grab it and get back to the inn," said Jeremy quickly, "That boom was liable to have alerted someone. I want to finish this puzzle without having to explain how we reached this conclusion."

"Or worse, be accused of destroying a historical monument," added Alyssandra.

Together, the group lifted with all of their might, employing the help of Sam's Gabite and Cranidos, and Niya's Drifloon to help make things go faster.

"This would be so much easier if one of us had a Machop or one of its evolutions," grunted Niya as everyone heaved the heavy stone slab back into place.

Sweating heavily by the time they were done, they tossed back their canteens of water as Alyssandra slipped the wooden box and the key that sat next to it into her shoulder bag.

The Pokémon were returned to their Poké Balls, Pikachu was given an Oran Berry for all of his "help" and everyone was given a minute to catch their breath.

Looking back at the stone panel, Sam noticed that it fit in with the rest of the room, and no longer stood out, as if it never existed.

He yanked again on the tablet, but it refused to budge, not even an inch; it was almost as if the alcove ceased to exist, like it had never been there in the first place.

Sam shook his head, pretending that everything was normal, but there was definitely something going on in this room.

"We're never going exploring in old ruins again without a Fighting Type Pokémon, agreed?" asked Jeremy facetiously, though it garnered a hearty agreement from his friends.

"Now, let's get going. We'll examine this thing in greater detail back in our room," said Niya, to which everyone agreed.

Everyone remained silent on their return to town, except for Sam's grandfather.

Aurelio rambled on about how the group had made the discovery of a lifetime, perhaps of several lifetimes. Though he understood why they couldn't tell anyone, he boomed on about how they could've had fame and fortune it if wasn't for scruples, and perhaps the almost certain death the Shrine Maidens could inflict upon them for breaking their vows.

Although no one else except for Sam heard or saw Aurelio as he rambled on during the return trip, for Sam, it seemed to make the trip even longer and more tiring.

Of course, Sam wasn't going to deny that it also made the trip more entertaining.

The group had only just entered the Sleepy Swellow Inn when the woman at the desk had notified them that someone had just called them from the Lost Tower but refused to give a name.

Sam knew who it was, and part of him was afraid that the Shrine Maidens had discovered that they used secret knowledge to discover the hidden box.

Sam calmed himself though, enough to force himself to realize that not only had they not broken their vows of secrecy with what they had just done, but also that the Great Mother had promised to return Sam and Alyssandra's Spiritomb by now.

With a calm breath, Sam centred himself and looked at his friends. "Go on ahead. I'll take the call. Get some food and stuff—I think we're all starved—and something for the Pokémon as well," said Sam, "I'll be up in a sec and we can finish up our…talk."

The group nodded and went down the hallway towards their room while Sam approached the videophone stations next to the front desk.

Sam dialled the number the woman at the front desk had been left by the Great Mother when she called last. The ringing came and went as fast as ever, as the Great Mother wasted no time in answering the phone.

"Hello there Sam," said the woman smiling happily, "How are you, are you keeping well?"

Sam nodded. "Well enough, yes," he laughed, "No poachers or angry spirits since we left the Lost Tower."

The Great Mother chuckled. "That _is_ good news," she joked slightly, "As I'm sure you've guessed, I'm calling about your Spiritomb."

Sam nodded, figuring as much, though refusing to admit he had a small minute of panic before reaching that conclusion.

"I'm sorry it's taken me so long to get back to you about it," apologized the Great Mother genuinely, "I promised to have them back to you by the time you arrived at Solaceon Town, which should've been a few days ago by my calculation."

"No, it's all right," said Sam simply, "We've been busy since we arrived anyway, so it's quite fine."

"Well, you see, that's part of the reason I'm calling actually," continued the Great Mother cautiously, "I was delayed for a reason. The other day we united and pacified another two Spiritomb, and I was thinking that, since you and Alyssandra were so skilled, your other friends might be just as skilled."

"I can assure you that they are," responded Sam, defending his friend's skills even though they did not need defending.

"Excellent!" smiled the Great Mother excitedly, "That works out even better. As I'm sure you've guessed by now, I was hoping your friends Jeremy and Niya could take these Spiritomb as well. You would all have one to care for."

Sam thought for a moment, wondering what his friends might say, and though it was wrong to answer for them, Sam felt he understood them well enough that he could.

"I don't see a problem with it," responded Sam confidently.

The Great Mother nodded happily. "Wonderful," she responded, "I cannot wait to see what these Spiritomb turn out to be in your capable hands. It's always nice to see them getting along with humanity again."

Sam nodded. Though in truth he had no idea what the experience would be like, or how fun it was to watch a Spiritomb "get along with humanity", let alone what that even meant.

"I'll send the Spiritomb over now, all right?" asked the Great Mother, making sure Sam was prepared to receive them.

Sam nodded, and they bid their goodbyes, and just as the screen went black, four white Poké Balls appeared in the transporting tube.

The character writing on them had been removed, as had the paper seals, and the balls were simply a pure white colour now from top to bottom.

Sam grabbed the Poké Balls carefully and gently and placed them into his shoulder bag before walking off down the hall to his room.

He would give his friends their Pokémon later, but first he wanted to know what was in the locked box. Just as Sam approached his room, his grandfather appeared, walking through the door, and stepping out into the hallway to great his grandson.

"Your friends have incredible patience you know," said Aurelio in disbelief, "They're actually waiting for you. Astonishing."

Sam sighed, but smiled softly. "Yes, grandfather, friends do that for each other."

Aurelio chuckled, pausing for a moment before he continued. "Yes, I suppose they do, don't they? So, what kept you up?"

"The woman who leads the Sinnoh Shrine Maidens called us before," Sam explained, "She was returning to us our Spiritomb that we had captured while we were at the Lost Tower."

"Yes, you mentioned that incident to me," noted Aurelio, "Not easy Pokémon to catch Spiritomb. Extremely rare too, for reasons we both now know. You should consider yourself lucky."

Sam shrugged, more interested in getting inside the room to find out what was in that wooden box. "I guess."

Aurelio eyed his grandson, and without delay decided to stall him, keeping his eager grandson from his precious box, but also teaching him a lesson in patience. "So," said Aurelio, dragging out this conversation for as long as he could, "Have you thought about my advice from before?"

Sam let out a slightly agitated sigh but kept his composure. His grandfather had a point still, but right now Sam's only priority was seeing inside of that box.

"I'll tell her, okay?" said Sam, calming himself down; he knew his grandfather was just trying to ruffle his feathers. He did it a lot when Sam was a kid, and Sam was ashamed to say it still worked.

Sam took another breath, then smiled, remembering his childhood, and feeling a sense of happy nostalgia wipe over him.

"That's what I wanted to hear," smiled Aurelio, "Now go look in that box. We're all curious to see what's in there."

Sam didn't waste a minute and opened the door to Niya and Alyssandra's room. "What happened?" asked Niya curiously, though her impatience was starting to show beneath the surface.

"We got our Spiritomb back," answered Sam, "She even gave us two more, one for you and Jeremy as well."

"Really? Why?" asked Jeremy, curious, but not complaining.

"Apparently, she trusts your skills as a Trainer," said Sam as he passed one of the white Poké Balls out to each of his friends. He slipped his own white Poké Ball back into his shoulder bag, specifically in the inside pocket where he kept his extra Pokémon, like Grey Flame and his Eevee.

"Enough stalling now," said Jeremy eagerly, "Can we please open the box, I want to see what's in there."

Sam nodded and pointed to the key sitting next to the box. "Go ahead then, let's open it."

Alyssandra nodded and grabbed the old iron key. It was old, uneven, and seemed to be made of a heavy, black iron.

The wooden box was painted in faded colours of blue and white and studded with small gems and mother of pearl inlay.

Alyssandra slipped the old key into the old lock and held her breath as she turned it. There was a click as the tumblers retracted into place and Jeremy was sitting on the edge of the bed like a kid at Christmas.

Pikachu was chewing the tips of its paws nervously, and Niya was munching on her bottom lip.

Sam and Aurelio were leaned in so close that Alyssandra had to tell Sam to back up. Of course, Aurelio remained unseen, and so he remained perched over her shoulder like some great vulture.

Alyssandra removed the key from the lock and placed it down beside her, and then gently, she lifted the lid of the box and was surprised by what she saw.

"What is it?" asked Jeremy excitedly, stepping over to the box to see.

Everyone crowded around her, and they too were surprised when they saw inside the box.

Sam reached in and picked one up and turned it over in his hands. It was a small ivory tile in the shape of a square. It fit right in the palm of Sam's hand with one of the stylistic letters of the U-Prime alphabet. There seemed to be enough tiles in the box to form four or five sets of the alphabet, assuming the alphabet was the same as the modern one that is.

Sam frowned a bit. "I won't lie, that's not what I expected," said Sam, a bit of disappointment in his voice.

"There's got to be more to this," said Niya as she looked at the tiles, "I don't know what it is…but there has got to be another puzzle revolving around these tiles."

"Maybe there's a room in the ruins where place these tiles, either in some kind of receptacle or maybe in the walls," suggested Alyssandra, thinking about what these tiles could possibly do.

"You'd think someone would've found that room yet though," shrugged Jeremy, though Sam was quick to jump on his comment, "They never found these tiles in the one room we were in. Arguably one of the most studied rooms in the ruins."

Jeremy nodded in defeat, but everyone was certain the mystery of these tiles did not lie in the ruins, not anymore. "These tiles were hidden rather well, there's got to be a point to them," agreed Jeremy, "You don't go to all that trouble to hide something like that if it wasn't important."

Sam nodded, agreeing with them, but not sure how or where to begin with this puzzle. "I say we think on it," suggested Sam, "We'll keep this box with us, and we'll try examining it over the next little while, keep working with it. If we discover something, great. If not, I say we give it to Professor Rowan and have him help us. Maybe he'll know something."

"Professor Rowan?" asked Alyssandra, "But what about secrecy?"

"I trust him," replied Sam firmly, "Besides if we need to we can hide some things from him. But it's better than nothing."

Everyone nodded and Alyssandra placed the tiles back into the box, locking it, and slipped it back into her bag. Everyone couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed that they had hit a dead end after so many victories today.

They had not only got to explore the Solaceon Ruins and see one of the most beautiful pieces of human ingenuity, but they had discovered a secret of the ruins that no one else had found before.

Archaeologists, linguists, historians; for hundreds of years they had tried to crack the secrets of the Room of Glyphs and the Solaceon Ruins and four teenagers and a Pikachu were the ones to do it.

Once Alyssandra had stashed her bag inside the closet wall safe provided in the room, Sam, and Jeremy, with Pikachu preferring to remain with Niya, made their way out of the room and back to theirs to put their own things away.

That's when Sam had an idea. "Jeremy do you mind bringing my stuff to my room for me? I'll catch up later, there's something I need to do," he asked, almost suddenly.

Aurelio smiled wryly as he knew where Sam was going with this.

Jeremy, confused, yet still complacent, agreed and took Sam's helmet and other belongings, except for his shoulder bag, and returned to their room.

"Lyss, can you join me on a walk for a minute?" asked Sam once Jeremy was out of earshot.

Niya looked up as well, having turned to a magazine; her usual read, Pokémon Trainer's Weekly. Every chance the group had, either visiting a Poké Mart while travelling en route, or stopping by one in a city, Niya would always buy the latest issue, and any issues she was behind on, in order to read them.

Pikachu sat there with her reading, though Sam suspected he was merely looking at the pictures, of course, he could've been wrong.

Alyssandra looked a little surprised but nodded quickly after a brief pause.

Niya gave Sam a smirk and went back to her reading, though Sam knew what she was implying.

Sadly, now was not the time.

Sam and Alyssandra walked from the hotel, down the bustling main street towards the nearby park, hoping to get some quiet and privacy as Sam prepared to explain perhaps the most unexplainable thing ever.

Once the two were situated on a bench, they released their Pokémon, even their Rapidash, and let them play freely in the park, as this park was also made for Pokémon to enjoy as well.

Instantly the Eevee, both of Sam's and Alyssandra's own, huddled together to continue playing as they usually did.

Lopunny, recently having discovered her maternal nature, kept watch over the Eevee with the help of Sam's Staravia.

Alyssandra's Piplup and Sam's Empoleon decided to lead a game of hide and seek, to which Alyssandra's Shinx, Cherrim and Roselia agreed to join in on, as did Sam's Cranidos, Gabite, and Luxray.

As the Pokémon ran off in different directions, Gabite, wicked clever as he was, started digging himself a tunnel underground and covering it up afterwards.

Sam finally turned to Alyssandra to explain.

To Sam's surprise his grandfather hadn't followed him beyond the front door of the hotel lobby. He gave Sam a thumbs-up and a smile, and then disappeared again to go who knows where.

"Alyssandra, we were talking earlier in the ruins," started Sam, to which

Alyssandra nodded.

"You remember what we were talking about there?"

Alyssandra nodded again. "We were talking about how I'm worried about you. You've been acting odd lately," she answered, "Are you giving me an explanation?"

Sam tried to find the right words to use, and finally came up with something after thirty seconds of sitting there with his mouth slightly open.

"Yeah, I guess you could call it that," he said with a slight laugh, "Just…just promise me you won't judge me?"

Alyssandra nodded. "Of course! We've been friends since we were kids, you know I'd never do that."

Sam smiled a bit; that made it easier, though he couldn't help but wonder how easy it would be for Alyssandra to uphold that principle after she heard what he was about to say.

"As you know, ever since we left Floaroma Town, there's been some strange things happening to me, to all of us really by extension," started Sam, carefully picking his words as to not sound crazy or worry his friend anymore, "Well, back in Hearthome, some weird things started happening again."

Alyssandra frowned a bit, out of concern that Sam's dreams had come back. This caused Sam to quickly get on with the next bit, so as not to keep her worried for too long.

"I…I don't know how this is possible, but I swear I'm able to see ghosts," said Sam suddenly, blurting it out after an initial stumble, "Well, maybe that's not the right term. I can see _a_ ghost in particular. I can see my grandfather's ghost; at least I think it's his ghost. I'm not entirely sure. All I know is that I can see him, he's definitely my grandfather, and he's kind of been popping in and out of my life giving me advice and grief in equal measure."

There was a long pause, and Alyssandra just stared at Sam, her face impassive. Sam couldn't help but worry that she wasn't going to believe him and was instead going to tell the others and force Sam to get medical help.

With each minute that ticked by the worry inside of Sam grew and grew, until he was just about ready to burst. Then, Alyssandra spoke, and the worry that was building up inside Sam burst and melted away.

"I believe you," said Alyssandra smiling, "Honestly, weirder things have happened to us out there."

Alyssandra had a point; there were some weird things that had happened to the group as they travelled. If there's one thing they knew for certain it's that nothing in this world was certain, and there were far more things out there that couldn't be explained than could.

"What's one more, weird thing on top of everything else we've been through, right?" smiled Alyssandra, placing a hand on Sam's shoulder, "And don't worry, we'll keep this our little secret okay?"

Sam nodded, grateful that Alyssandra understood how he felt.

"Well, that went well I'd say," smiled Aurelio, appearing behind the two of them on the bench.

Sam gave a big smile, not even perturbed by the random, sudden appearance of his grandfather anymore.

"He's here isn't he?" asked Alyssandra, smiling as well, curious to see what Sam was going through first hand, even if she couldn't see Aurelio.

Sam nodded, and Alyssandra gave a noise of excitement and tried waving at Aurelio and greeting him.

Sam became a translator between the two, as Sam had to give Aurelio's responses to Alyssandra, being the only one who could see or hear him.

Aurelio had been close with all of Sam's friends. He treated them all like his grandchildren, seeing as he only had the one, and each of them respected Aurelio like a grandfather.

Though, Niya and Jeremy did have their own grandparents, Alyssandra never knew hers, and had always been just a tad closer to Aurelio because of it. So, the two friends and the ghost of Sam's grandfather conversed in the park for the remainder of the day, talking about old experiences, new adventures, listening to Aurelio's stories about his youth and travels, and reminiscing about the good times.

This continued until an orange light began to fill the sky as dusk was slowly approaching.

Sam and Alyssandra, realizing how hungry they were and that they needed to get back before their friends started worrying, recalled their Pokémon, though were surprised to see that as they finished doing so, Aurelio had disappeared—or so Sam explained to Alyssandra.

"Is he going to come back?" frowned Alyssandra, disappointed that he had to go, whether she could see it or not.

Sam nodded. "I'm just not sure when, but he will. He always does," he responded.

Alyssandra nodded in response, still a bit disheartened, but happy that at least she'd get another chance to speak with Aurelio through Sam.

"Come on, let's get back," smiled Sam, their Pokémon safety returned to the Poké Balls that hung off their waists.

Alyssandra agreed, giving a small nod and the two returned to their hotel, the Sleepy Swellow Inn, prepared to debate with the others about where they should go for dinner.


	50. 48 - The Pokemon Day Care

~ Chapter 48 ~

The Pokémon Day Care

" _Hideo Yamamoto was my grandfather Salvatore's first apprentice, and from what I learned from my other grandfather, Yamamoto had trained his family in similar methods. I later learned that out of respect for his former teacher's secrecy, Yamamoto evolved what he learned from my grandfather; that way he wasn't revealing too much of the Accardi Method. So, you could say that Yamamoto's skills are partially his own; half Accardi and half Yamamoto. Hideo respected my grandfather, both of them actually. I went to visit him the day after the Solaceon Ruins Incident, and my grandfather Aurelio joined me. Though Hideo didn't know that, at least…I don't think he did. He was a bit odd. His wife seemed to know more than she was letting on."_

The Sleepy Swellow Inn was a quiet little inn on the main street of town. It was an old inn, with an old-fashioned inside, run by an elderly couple whose family had been running the inn for generations.

Well known and well situated, yet out of the way. It was the perfect place to stay in Sam's opinion. It was there the group was staying during their week in Solaceon Town, and what a week it had been.

Alyssandra had not only won her fourth contest ribbon, but had also experienced, for the first time, the famed Trainer-Pokémon Bond.

The group in unison had discovered a secret alcove behind a stone tablet in the wall in the Solaceon Ruins, and in the alcove, an ancient wooden box filled with tiles of letters from the alphabet of the U-Prime language.

Sam had told Alyssandra about being able to see and communicate with the ghost of his dead grandfather, but rather than fear for his sanity, she had joined in on the secret, and often enjoyed conversations with Sam and Aurelio about random, seemingly unimportant things.

As a result, Sam and Alyssandra, despite being very close friends already, had grown even closer, a special bond growing between, a bond based on secrecy.

Now the group lay in Sam and Jeremy's room, draped across the beds just after breakfast.

No one was quite sure what they wanted to do that day; they had explored the ruins. Alyssandra was done her contest, and they spent yesterday exploring the downtown core of Solaceon Town.

Alyssandra said she wanted to go back to a few shops and buy things, and then relax by the small pool outback with her Pokémon, while Niya wished to go do more research on the U-Prime language and its history, origins, and any known information on it.

Jeremy agreed, and declared his desire to join Niya at the local library after he had gone for a run with his Pokémon. He was still trying to get into shape for the Pokémon Ranger Exam.

Sam on the other hand, didn't feel like doing either.

While he still had an interest in the U-Prime language, and the group's discovery at the Solaceon Ruins, after playing around with the tiles last night, Sam had felt weird being around them. His solution was to stay away from the tiles for a little bit, at least until the feeling of being watched and the tingling in his spine went away.

Sam himself felt like going to visit Mr. Yamamoto at the Pokémon Day Care in town; if anything, to meet him personally, having been a close friend of both his grandfathers.

After a few more minutes of debate the group decided it was best to split up and do what they wanted to do separately.

Each of them had their Spiritomb with them as well; Alyssandra was going to teach hers the joys of shopping and sunbathing, while Niya intended to teach hers about research and libraries. Jeremy was going to bring his along for his run along with the rest of his Pokémon. Sam had his in his shoulder bag but didn't plan on taking Spiritomb out until he reached the Pokémon Day Care.

"Planning on visiting Yamamoto?" asked Aurelio, breaking the relative silence of the walk.

"How'd you know?" asked Sam, no longer surprised by his grandfather's sudden appearances.

"I recognize the way," shrugged Aurelio, "Plus I've been listening in on your guys for a while now."

Sam sighed, a small smile on his face. "I'm not surprised, honestly."

There was a pause, Aurelio following silently behind Sam.

As the two got farther from the downtown, the houses and buildings grew bigger and father apart, with front yards and back yards and several storey homes. Eventually the yards became gardens, and then fields. It was a half hour walk from the centre of downtown to the outermost reaches of the city, where all the farms and the Pokémon Day Care were located. Some farms raised beef, or pork, or chicken; animals that were raised only for food.

It was said they were wild thousands of years ago, but humans learned to domesticate these creatures just like Pokémon and used them for sources of food.

Anthropologists and Pokémonthropologists were outraged about which were domesticated first, livestock animals or Pokémon. Though it is known that while Pokémon eventually overtook other animals, like the ancient creatures known as the "dog" or "cat", as the role of Man's Best Friend, both Pokémon and livestock were eaten at one point.

No one ate Pokémon anymore though, not since the Slowpoke and Farfetch'd were almost hunted to extinction. That was a hundred years ago, and since then it has been made illegal to consume Pokémon.

This didn't stop the incredibly perverse, incredibly rich, and incredibly wicked people like the Black Claw Gang from trying though.

Since the banning of the consumption of Pokémon, however, more animals like cows and pigs were brought back from the verge of obscurity and used as the main source of meat.

There wasn't a livestock animal in existence that wasn't in captivity. All raised for the same purpose.

Of course, none of this stopped Pokémon from eating each other, but that was nature, and entirely different.

"So, you and Alyssandra," started Aurelio as Sam walked down the now dirt road towards the Yamamoto Pokémon Day Care.

"What about us?" asked Sam, pretending he didn't know what his grandfather was talking about.

"I'm seventy-seven years old, Sam, don't lie to me," responded Aurelio semi-sternly.

"Actually, you're dead," replied Sam plainly, "And you died at seventy."

"Don't patronize me!" laughed Aurelio, trying to remain serious, "You and I both know that you like her. Don't deny it."

Sam sighed, stopping by the painted white fence, a few hundred feet down the road from the day care's main building. "I'm not denying it," said Sam defensively, throwing his arms up.

"But you're not doing anything about it either," noted Aurelio, "And that's the problem, isn't it?"

"Well, what am I supposed to do?" asked Sam, clearly lost about where to go next.

"You take after me a lot, but you lack my skills with women," frowned Aurelio scratching the back of his neck.

"No, according to Professor Rowan I take after you _exactly_ when it comes to women," replied Sam bluntly, referencing Aurelio's trouble with actually speaking to his grandmother in their youth.

Aurelio's mouth did his typical opening and closing bit, where he tried to force words through the gaping hole of his mouth, but nothing came except for garbled vowels and consonants that did not even closely resemble words.

"Just don't take too long with her," said Aurelio finally, after several minutes of silent thinking, "You don't want to lose her. No one waits forever, my boy."

Sam let out a sigh, and thanked his grandfather for the advice, albeit rather begrudgingly. Sam hated when he was right, especially this far into Sam's life, just when he thought he had it all figured out.

"You told her about me and she didn't think you were crazy, she even joined in after believing you!" exclaimed Aurelio, trying to prove his point, "Do I really need more proof that you've got your path made for you?"

Sam shrugged, and Aurelio put his hand on his grandson's shoulder. "All right, we'll talk later," he said calmly, "I'll try not to butt in so much when it comes to Alyssandra. Just remember what I said okay?"

"Aren't you sticking around to see Yamamoto?" asked Sam curiously.

Aurelio nodded and the two began walking again. "I am, but I'll do my best to be quiet this time," explained Aurelio, "It won't be easy, but I'll try."

"Won't be easy is an understatement," muttered Sam mostly to himself.

It was only a few more minutes before the two of them reached the front door of Yamamoto's Pokémon Day Care. Sam paused for a moment, his hand firmly grasping the handle of the door. Then, with a final kick of courage, Sam pushed the door open.

A bell tinkled overhead as he opened the door and tinkled again as he closed it. There was silence, and the room was empty. It was set up much like a pre-school; in one corner was a fenced off area that was set up with a play set complete with slides, tunnels and even some swings. There were a few Pokémon playing on the set before Sam came in, and they paused briefly once he entered the room to stare at him in wonder before returning to their play.

From what Sam could tell they were extremely young, and this room was probably for newly hatched Pokémon. The fields were no doubt for older, more experienced ones.

"Nice place he's got here," remarked Aurelio in amazement.

Sam simply shook his head, holding in a combination of a sigh and a laugh; so much for trying to stay quiet.

While he waited for someone come in from the back and appear behind the counter, Sam couldn't help but realize that he never sighed so much as when his grandfather was around.

Of course, he never laughed so much either.

The volume perhaps was not as great as some moments with his friends, but the per capita amounts of laughs was definitely greater.

Sam's thoughts of laughter and sighing and his never serious grandfather pushed to the side as a short, balding man with kind eyes, a wrinkled face and a long white beard appeared from behind the counter. This was no doubt the man from the Pokémon Contest, Hideo Yamamoto.

"Sorry about that, there was an incident with a Chansey who's a picky eater back there," said Hideo as he removed his apron, wiping his hands on it.

He tossed the apron into an overflowing hamper then grabbed a new one from the wall behind the counter.

"Welcome to Yamamoto's Pokémon Day Care, how can I help you, young man?" asked Hideo, Sam having still not responded.

Hideo finally looked up at Sam and paused mid-word, getting out only a short, sharp vowel before taking a minute to examine Sam from afar.

"I'm sorry. You don't know me, Mr. Yamamoto," started Sam, but this time it was Hideo's turn to cut him off.

"No, I believe I do," he smiled, coming out from behind the counter to shake Sam's hand. For a skinny, frail looking, old man Hideo's grasp was surprisingly firm. His hands were calloused and well worn, like old leather, and Sam could even feel a few scars, and the soft patches of poorly healed skin that were once burns.

Hideo's hands certainly felt like a Breeder's; they felt like his grandfather's hands. None of Sam's uncles had the same hands—they had a few scars here and there sure, but for the most part they benefited from well-made, industrial strength Breeder's gloves.

Hideo's generation suffered so the next wouldn't have to, Sam supposed.

Either way, Hideo was definitely a hands-on workingman.

"I was wondering when you'd be showing up here Mr. Accardi," he smiled warmly, then finally, after much debate with himself, embraced Sam in a hug, "You look a little like your grandfather. Has anyone ever told you that?"

Sam wasn't sure how to respond. They had, briefly in passing, but no one was ever in consensus over which grandfather they were talking about. Some said Sam was more Accardi, while others believed Sam was more Giovinazzo, either way none of the complements came often enough for him to have gotten tired of it.

"He means you look like me, obviously," stated Aurelio matter-of-factly.

Sam didn't know how to respond, and rather than presume like his prideful grandfather, could only think to ask next.

"Your namesake of course," smiled Hideo, to which Aurelio looked a bit dejected.

"He's got my personality," muttered Aurelio, attempted to salvage some of his pride.

Sam gave a small smile but didn't let it show lest Hideo think his mind was elsewhere. "Thank you," smiled Sam politely, trying to continue the conversation.

"Though knowing your other grandfather, if he were here he would probably take offence to that, wouldn't he?" Hideo gave a laugh, and Aurelio grinned.

Sam nodded, laughing internally at how well Hideo knew his grandfather.

"So, what brings you by my humble establishment today?" wondered Mr. Yamamoto, leading Sam into the back room behind the counter, where there was revealed to be a full kitchen.

Sam and Hideo sat across from each other at the table, sharing a pot of tea and many stories.

Sam explained to Mr. Yamamoto that he had come mostly out of curiosity, after hearing that Hideo had been a friend of both of his grandfather's, as well as an apprentice in what Hideo lovingly called "The Accardi Method of Breeding."

Sam had never heard it put quite so poetically before, but the more Hideo and Sam spoke, the more Sam understood that Hideo, like his own family, viewed Pokémon Breeding as an art akin to music, or poetry or dance.

"Pokémon are like a blank canvas," explained Hideo, "They're just like a young child. The more they experience the world, and other people and Pokémon, the more strokes of paint get put on the canvas. Eventually you've got a beautiful masterpiece, unique in its own ways, and never quite the same each time."

Sam nodded, understanding Hideo's many similes and metaphors, even promising to start using a few of them himself when speaking to others about Pokémon Breeding.

Hideo believed that each Pokémon was unique, regardless of what species they were, and each Pokémon had their own personalities.

Like the Accardi Method, Hideo raised each Pokémon based on a combination of their innate strengths they had from their species, and strengths they gained from their personalities—weaknesses were just strengths that took a bit more work to utilize well.

With each word Hideo Yamamoto spoke, Sam was reminded increasingly of his grandfather.

"I don't do it for profit, that's never why I got into the Pokémon Day Care business," explained Hideo, when Sam had started asking hordes of questions, "I won't lie that my business has been kind to me over the years, but money isn't my motivator. I do it for the Pokémon, and for the people. I help people make their Pokémon into masterpieces; or for those Pokémon that just need a bit more socialization in their life, I provide that for them. I give Trainers a place they can leave their Pokémon without worrying about whether or not they'll be okay, or if they'll be lonely. Just like a parent leaving their child at a pre-school, I treat these Trainers and their Pokémon as parent and child, and once they've grown enough together, as friends and partners. Pokémon are more human than we give them credit for sometimes; smarter than us too if you let them surprise you."

Sam nodded, feeling exactly the same as Hideo was. It was refreshing to speak with someone who wasn't family that was equally as knowledgeable and passionate about Pokémon Breeding. Of course, Sam couldn't help but feel a bit sad, and disappointed in himself, for leaving behind the summers at the ranch. Being away on a Pokémon Journey meant giving up a lot of things, sure, but that was definitely on the list of things he would miss the most.

He was supposed to head back to the Kanto Region this year, which meant Sam would get to see an old friend of his, one that Sam had had for most of his life. They had seen each other less and less in the past few years, as Sam started rotating ranches.

The last two summers were spent at the Hoenn Ranch, and before that was the Unova Ranch.

This summer was supposed to be Kanto, then Johto and then Sinnoh again.

Even though the Johto Ranch was Sam's favourite, he loved being at the Kanto Ranch the most because of the company he kept there.

Sam pushed these thoughts from his mind as Hideo returned from the stove, bringing their third pot of tea over, and pouring some. "Your grandmother is well?" asked Hideo, finally getting into Sam's life. Sam had been asking so many questions about Hideo, trying to get to know him that he had completely forgotten to talk about himself minus a few details here and there.

"She's well, thank you," Sam replied, sipping the tea carefully as not to burn himself, "She recently travelled to the Hoenn Region to lay a family member to rest, she went with some old friends."

Sam and his friends had not spoken to anyone except for Jeremy's mother in almost two weeks. In the almost week it had been between Hearthome City and Solaceon Town the group hadn't called home because they were travelling, but they called once they reached Solaceon Town and apparently Sam's grandmother, Professor Rowan and Palmer had been delayed coming home because of a hurricane that was happening off the coast of Slateport.

Apparently, there were Tsunami warnings as well, but thankfully that never occurred.

Sam was worried, because in the week the group had been in Solaceon Town, they had called Jeremy's mother every day and still his grandmother had given no sign of returning.

Sam bit his tongue though and made a mental note to ask his grandfather about his home region later, especially when the ghost's face seemed to harden at the mention of his widowed wife travelling.

"I'm glad to see she's still getting out of the house," smiled Hideo, "I'm assuming one of the friends that accompanied her was Rowan Oak. Though I suppose he's known as Professor Rowan these days, isn't he?"

Hideo let out a small hooting laugh as he poured himself more tea. He took a healthy sip from the cracked brown mug and then began to speak again. "I remember," he said, chuckling in between his words, "When he was still No Risk Rowan."

Aurelio howled with laughter from the seat next to Sam, a seat he had chosen to take without it even being offered. In order not to frighten Hideo by moving the chair, Aurelio sat in the chair so that half his body phased through the table.

"Why was he called that?" Sam asked with a burning curiosity.

Hideo explained after a few more sips of tea and some bouts of laughter, that Rowan had been, at least towards the beginning of his and Aurelio's travels, quite the stick in the mud. Rowan preferred not to take risks unless honour demanded, which usually meant that Aurelio had called him a chicken and clucked at him until the former acquiesced.

Aurelio swore that if he hadn't been there Rowan would never have learned to have fun.

Sam couldn't help but laugh a bit as well, though not as much as Hideo or his grandfather, who had no doubt found it funnier because they had actually been there to witness it.

"Your grandfather used to get them into a lot of dangerous predicaments, and it was often Rowan's quick thinking that got them out," continued Hideo, "Honestly when I first met those two when they passed through Solaceon Town, constantly arguing and bickering with each other, I couldn't help but ask how they could be friends. They were just so opposite from one another. Of course, after getting to know them and having known them for so long, I realized that they needed each other. People change people my boy; we would all be very different if we didn't have the friends we have."

Sam and Hideo continued to talk for another hour until Hotaru Yamamoto, Hideo's wife, returned from the fields to see where her husband had gone off.

Apparently, he was supposed to relieve her and watch over the Pokémon out back a half hour ago while Hotaru took over the front from her husband.

Sam was then introduced to Hotaru, while Hideo rushed out back quickly, a little embarrassed that he had let time slip from him so easily.

Sam and Hideo bid each other farewell, and Sam was left talking with the missus.

"I really should be going," said Sam after he had finished the sandwich Hotaru Yamamoto had insisted, to the point of threatening violence, Sam eat while he was still a guest in their home.

Sam was also on what might be his tenth, but could also be his eighth, pot of tea. At some point along the way he lost count and was now just guessing.

As Sam stood up to leave, Hotaru looked at him in deep thought. "Is everything okay?" asked Sam, as he saw the look Hotaru was giving him.

"I was thinking…perhaps you could leave your Pokémon here? Just for the night?" wondered Hotaru.

Sam was taken aback slightly. He had no intention of having someone else raise his Pokémon, and he didn't mind keeping his Pokémon with him. They got a lot of time out of their Poké Balls when the group was travelling between towns. Yet at the same time, this idea intrigued Sam.

"For what reason?" asked Sam with a true, honest interest.

"I would like to see how Accardi raised Pokémon compare to ours, at least partly," smiled Hotaru, "That, and I think it would be a good experience for the Pokémon here to meet well trained, battle-hardened Pokémon, and vice versa."

Sam thought for a moment and saw the value in it. His Pokémon could learn a lot from others, and these other Pokémon could learn a lot from his Pokémon. Plus, Spiritomb could always benefit from being around new Pokémon that didn't belong to Sam or his friends.

Sam agreed, to which Hotaru replied it was free of charge, because Sam was an old friend. Sam insisted that he had to pay something, and kept trying to pull his wallet out, at least until Hotaru threatened to hit him with her wooden cooking spoon.

Sam laughed, being reminded of his own grandmother, and acquiesced, agreeing to the price of nothing. "All right, let's go out back and I'll release my Pokémon," said Sam.

He and Hotaru left the kitchen through a small mudroom opposite the main entrance.

Once they were out back, facing the wide-open fields of the day care. Sam released each of his Pokémon in turn and explained to each of them what he was doing.

"I'm leaving you here, not for long, just for the night," explained Sam, "Mrs. Yamamoto and I think that it would be a really good experience for you guys to meet other, maybe not as experienced Pokémon."

Empoleon seemed to understand the best, nodding. Grey Flame as well, understanding how life worked on a ranch. Spiritomb looked a bit lost, and Sam knelt down to explain to him specifically what was going, and though Spiritomb didn't entirely understand, he seemed more comfortable with it after Sam explained that it was nothing bad, and Spiritomb had done nothing wrong.

It also helped when Sam told Spiritomb his friends, Sam's other Pokémon, would be there with him as well.

Spiritomb smiled, nodded, and floated off into the fields to meet more Pokémon, causing Grey Flame and Staravia to go off after him, making sure Spiritomb didn't get lost or hurt.

"That's quite a rare Pokémon you have there," smiled Hotaru watching him say goodbye to his Pokémon in turn.

"It was a…well it's a bit of a long story," laughed Sam.

"Isn't that the truth," chuckled Aurelio, knowing the true story behind it.

Hotaru smiled kindly as well, not pressing the issue, but remarked. "I do not doubt it. I'm sure it's a fascinating story; but perhaps one for another time yes?"

Sam nodded. "Unfortunately. Sorry." "

No don't be sorry!" laughed Hotaru, "I understand. We all have our secrets. Knowing how rare Spiritomb are, I don't blame you for keeping that one to yourself."

Sam nodded, grateful that Hotaru understood him so well. With a smile Sam said farewell to Hotaru, until the morning anyway, and the two parted with a hug.

"Tell your grandfather I say hello, my boy," smiled Hotaru, "And from my husband as well."

"Oh uh…they're both…" Sam started, but Hotaru frowned, not realizing.

"Oh, oh of course, my apologies," apologized Hotaru suddenly, "I forgot…I'm very sorry. I didn't mean to."

Sam forced a smile, though couldn't hide how weirded out he was over Hotaru's sudden mention of his grandfather. He was sure Hotaru knew that he had passed on but…why would she have Sam say hello.

Even Genji Yamamoto seemed to know more than he let on.

Sam hid a shiver, and waved goodbye to Hotaru, turning around, back down the road, he came, leaving the day care behind him for today.

It was the middle of the afternoon right now, plenty of time to explore the town a little more; or maybe go for a swim with Lyss.

Part of Sam missed his Pokémon, but he was happy that they were allowed to have this new and interesting experience, and knew that they would grow stronger, and be bettered by it. Sam believed it, truly.


	51. 49 - The Battle n' Breakfast

~ Chapter 49 ~

The Battle n' Breakfast

" _It wasn't easy leaving Solaceon Town. We had grown accustomed to the comforts of a warm bed, hot showers and warm meals made for us daily. That was one of the hardest parts of stopping in cities when we travelled; we got too comfortable and kept forgetting we had to leave. Maybe that's why we chose to stay at the Battle n' Breakfast on Route 210. It was far from a normal experience though. At the end of your stay, the owner offered an optional challenge to every guest. The challenge of a Pokémon Battle; two on two. If you could defeat him, or if he was particularly impressed by your skills, as a Trainer your stay was half off. To me, I never took the challenge for the money. I did it for the thrill and the challenge. There was something about a Pokémon Battle that's just exhilarating for me; and it doesn't hurt to test your skills once and a while."_

Sam looked expectantly at the back door of the motel.

The group had spent a night at the Battle n' Breakfast. A small little place on Route 210, nearby where Route 210 converged with Route 215. It wasn't world famous, but to those who knew it, the place was infamous. It was one of the few places that allowed people to battle for their bill. The Battle n' Breakfast gave anyone who stayed there the option to battle the owner of the small motel, or any of his family members. If the challenger beat the house, they got half off their bill. If they lost, they paid the full bill.

Sam thought it was a worthy opportunity—to him, he didn't care whether or not he paid less or more on the bill. That part of the challenge was inconsequential. What really drew Sam to the challenge was the chance to test himself against other Trainers. Most of Sam's battles were against his friends or Wild Pokémon. He'd only twice fought a Gym Leader, and once the current Sinnoh League Champion. Rarely did Sam have a chance to battle passing Trainers, but now he had his moment and he wasn't going to let it slide.

Very few people had ever defeated the owner or his family in a Pokémon Battle. "Only a handful" was what the brochure advertised. Apparently, the family was descended of one of the first Sinnoh League Champions. A worthy bloodline, and according to eyewitness accounts; they battled like they were vying for the title themselves.

Sam had heard stories about a similar family in the Hoenn Region, the Winstrate Family. Perhaps one-day Sam would have the chance to fight them also. But for now, he remained calm and did his best to focus on the fight at hand.

He and his friends sat behind the motel at the small battlefield that had been set up for these kinds of occasions. Sam had waited two hours for Nurse Joy to be driven up from Solaceon Town so that she could referee the match. Apparently, the on-site referee had been away this week, on his annual vacation.

The waiting only made Sam more anxious though, and he had started pacing.

"Will you sit down?" demanded Niya; "You're going to wear a hole in the ground. Besides, if you keep worrying you'll psyche yourself out and you'll definitely lose."

Sam didn't respond, but simply shrugged and grunted, acknowledging that Niya spoke, but not if he had heard what she said or not.

Niya threw her hands up in the air and resigned herself. "If you get this nervous about an insignificant little match like this, I can only imagine how nervous you'll be when you have to fight Valentina," she declared.

Jeremy laughed, "He'll probably be frozen with fear and we'll have to wheel him out to the match on a dolly."

Sam frowned and turned his back on his friends, ignoring their jokes. Sam wasn't so much nervous about the results as he was about his own skill. Was it good enough? Was he where he had to be? Was this going to be the defeat that Fantina had talked about when he met her? No, no. He had to calm down.

Sam's grandfather appeared shortly after the thoughts in his head started buzzing out of control like a swarm of Beedrill. "She's right you know," he said with a kind but firm smile on his face, "If you keep worrying like this you're going to turn these nice people's back lawn into a canyon"

Sam sighed and threw himself on to the bench. He couldn't respond to his grandfather in front of his friends, but he wanted to. Yet at the same time, Sam knew everyone was right, so he sighed again and resigned himself to fate.

Sam wasn't sure if that was what did it, but whatever had happened, the owner, Ernest Victree, and Nurse Joy walked out of the backdoor, ready to battle. Sam shot up, excited and beaming and Mr. Victree laughed.

"Someone's excited!" he exclaimed, "Good! I like to see passion and enthusiasm! Just like my father, and his father, and his father before that. We do this, so we can help a new generation of Trainers get better and test themselves."

Aurelio smiled, whispering to himself. "This kid's just like his grandfather. It's nice to see passion never truly dies." He wasn't sure if Sam heard him or not, but regardless, they would find out soon enough; probably.

Tensions grew however, as Sam and Mr. Victree took their positions on either side of the field after shaking hands in a friendly manner. It was clear both competitors truly respected one another. Mr. Victree respected Sam for having the courage to take the challenge—especially when he heard the reasons as to _why_ Sam wanted to take the challenge so badly.

Sam on the other hand, respected Mr. Victree for what he was trying to do, and for the raw passion he had for doing it. Something about it was inspiring and commendable—it was rare nowadays.

Both sides stared hard at each other as Nurse Joy read out the rules of the match.

"All right contestants! Let's have a nice clean fight, shall we?" she asked rhetorically, for she knew there would be no problems from either contestant, "This will be a two on two battle. Each contestant will only be allowed two Pokémon each, and cannot switch out until their current Pokémon is defeated. Switching out between rounds is also permitted. The fight will continue until either player has defeated all of the Pokémon of the other, or unless someone forfeits the match! If at any time, either Trainer wishes to withdraw from the battle, they need simply step backwards out of their Trainer's Box and declare their resignation from the match! Are we all in accordance?"

Sam and Mr. Victree nodded.

Lyss sat on the bench, biting her lip as she cheered for Sam internally as much as externally. She really wanted him to win this. She wanted to see Sam go far and test his skills. To become the best Trainer he could be, and then go beyond that.

Aurelio too watched the match, but he was not near as nervous as Alyssandra, though he wanted the same thing. Age and years of being a Pokémon Trainer had made Aurelio understand that if Sam's win was meant to be, it would happen, and if not, he would simply have to train harder and get better. There was no denying skill. It played a big part in these kinds of matches.

Nurse Joy lowered her white flag and the match began. Immediately both opponents released their first Pokémon. Sam had unleashed his Cranidos, while Mr. Victree sent out a Magnezone.

Jeremy immediately went for his Pokédex to look up information on the Magnezone and was amazed as he read up on the Pokémon. Recently Jeremy had taken up the habit of checking out Pokémon he encountered in his Pokédex.

Everyone had one, including Niya, and they used them to learn more about the Pokémon they caught or owned and how best to raise them, feed them, as well as check out behaviour and temperament of Pokémon they wanted to catch. The Pokédex even showed places where Pokémon they wanted were usually found in abundance. The Pokédex also kept track of which Pokémon the group had caught already and how many they owned.

Sam immediately snapped himself out of what Jeremy was doing in the side-lines. He needed to focus.

Cranidos was prepared to deflect any attack coming from the enemy Magnezone.

Good thing too, as Mr. Victree took advantage of the opening to send Magnezone on the offensive. He commanded Magnezone to use Gyro Ball.

The massive Steel/Electric type Pokémon turned itself on its side, looking like a giant floating oval, and spun itself like a tire. It kept spinning, picking up more speed, and aimed itself, still hovering over the ground, right at Cranidos.

Sam took a minute to analyse the situation and responded just in time to counter the attack. "Cranidos! Stand firm! Lower your head and stop the attack with your skull!" cried Sam.

Cranidos, fearless as her leader, did as was asked. The Magnezone, fast as it was going, slammed headlong into Cranidos's incredibly thick skull.

Magnezone kept spinning, trying to push through Cranidos, but the smaller Pokémon refused to budge. Her feet sunk into the ground as she resisted against Magnezone's attack.

Sam called for another manoeuvre. "Cranidos, tilt your head down towards the ground! Push Magnezone into the dirt!"

Sam's call was sudden but Cranidos obeyed as best as possible. As she tilted her head, Magnezone's direction changed from straight and parallel to the ground to diagonally and right into it.

There was a crunching sound as gravel exploded and moved aside, throwing dust into the air. Magnezone's speed and strength behind its push drilled the Pokémon into the ground like a car tire in deep snow.

With Magnezone stuck, Sam took the time to strike, calling for Cranidos to jump back and hit her opponent with a Headbutt.

The small Cranidos charged, snorting, and ranting as she reversed her retreat. She rushed full speed at Magnezone and as her head hit the other Pokémon, it was dislodged from the ground and sent flying backwards with a massive clang, not unlike a hammer hitting steel.

Luckily for Magnezone was able to stabilize itself and levitate its body with its internal magnetism before it slammed into any of its surroundings.

Mr. Victree congratulated Magnezone on its save and called for retaliation with Zap Cannon.

"Damn," hissed Sam to himself. Cranidos may have been a Rock/Ground type, but even with a natural resistance to Electric type moves, a move as strong as Zap Cannon would still do some damage.

Sam tried to tell Cranidos to jump out of the way, but as Cranidos leaped into mid-air, one of the two magnets on Magnezone's side hit Cranidos with a Magnet Rise attack, keeping it raised in the air, spinning, and twirling like a helpless turtle on its back.

Magnezone took that opportunity to hit Cranidos with the charging Zap Cannon. Sam could do nothing but remain strong as Cranidos cried out in pain as she was struck with Zap Cannon.

The electricity did not diminish the effect of Magnet Rise, and Magnezone was already preparing a second attack.

Sam would not allow it. "Cranidos, when you get a clear shot hit Magnezone with a Flamethrower!"

Cranidos did as asked, and the flames blasted across the arena, hitting Magnezone straight in the centre of its body, sending the Pokémon backwards and negating its next attack.

Sam smiled; he would fight his way back in this.

Magnezone came back to its starting position in front of Mr. Victree as its Trainer called out its next move.

"Magnezone, hit Cranidos with a Mirror Shot while you still have it in the air!" cried Mr. Victree.

Sam was not letting Cranidos get hit twice though. As Magnezone prepared and fired a small ball of blue-white energy, Sam called for Cranidos to retaliate with an Ice Beam.

"Crani-dooooooooos!" cried the Pokémon with all of its remaining strength, shooting the ball of energy with as much ice as it could muster. The battlefield flashed, bathing the surroundings and spectators in worry and white-blue flashes of light in equal measure.

As the light show stopped, it was revealed that Sam's Cranidos has frozen the Mirror Shot in a block of ice. It now sat upon the ground, twinkling in the sun for a few brief moments before it exploded in a dazzling, yet non-lethal, burst of sparkling ice shards.

Sam smiled for two reasons. Firstly, he had negated the attack and now Magnezone was distracted by the display, and second, because Magnet Rise had finally let up.

Sam sent Cranidos in for the final charge. "Cranidos, dash in, hit Magnezone with a Headbutt!"

"Cranidos!' called back the small Pokémon in acknowledgment.

The Pokémon's steel-grade skull slammed itself into Magnezone's side, sending the Pokémon spinning off backwards from the force of the hit.

Cranidos and Sam did not let up tough.

Sam merely called for Cranidos to "press the attack," and left the rest in the hands of his Cranidos, and he had with his Empoleon in the past.

Cranidos bathed the spinning Magnezone with an instant Flamethrower, hitting the Pokémon on all sides as it spun, revealing all parts of its body. It was like a Pokémon rotisserie barbecue.

Cranidos gave a smirk then kept going. Another Headbutt; an Assurance. Not letting Magnezone a chance to get an attack in edgewise.

Magnezone managed to prepare another Flash Cannon, but Cranidos hit it with an Assurance again, and the opponent flinched, losing focus and the attack in one painful go.

Cranidos finally finished up the battle as it bathed Magnezone in one final Flamethrower.

The enemy Magnezone, it's power spent, hit the ground with a massive thud, making a dent in the dirt below and fell unconscious, sparking off spare electricity every so often.

"Round One has ended!" called Nurse Joy, pointing her flag towards Sam, "The winner is Sam Accardi and his Cranidos!"

A cheer erupted across the field as Cranidos ran over to Sam and leapt into his arms.

Meanwhile, Jeremy, Pikachu, Niya and Alyssandra erupted into cheers of congratulations and jubilation in the stands.

Even Aurelio clapped heartily, whistling with his fingers in his mouth as he egged Sam on into the next round.

Mr. Victree was far from disappointed with his defeat—in fact, he was quite happy about it. "I'm just glad I lost to a skilled Trainer," he said with a genuine, hearty laugh, "That was an exhilarating battle! I've never seen anyone trust their Pokémon to lead the battle like that! No one has ever commanded a Pokémon without speaking before. And taking advantage of certain opportunities like that—especially with that Gyro Ball—remarkable!"

"Thank you," Sam called back in response as he returned his Cranidos to her Poké Ball. The Pokémon had fought well, and while he was sure Cranidos would be more than happy to fight a second round, Sam was not going to force his Pokémon to do so.

Instead Sam drew his second Poké Ball, as did Mr. Victree, and the two prepared mentally for Round Two.

This would be the deciding Round, if Sam could win it.

Sam felt he could though; he was brimming with confidence; bolstered by his recent win. He could do this. He just needed to remain calm and focused.

Nurse Joy raised her flags again and called for the start of the second round as she reminded the two opponents of the rules.

Within seconds of the round starting, both Trainers had their Pokémon out on the field.

Sam had sent out his Gabite, for the first time since the Hearthome Tournament.

Meanwhile, Mr. Victree sent out a weathered, but still dangerous looking Salamence.

Sam knew all about Salamence, however, and smirked as he remembered his grandfather had had one in his lifetime. Sam battled against it and with it often, and knew much about a Salamence's repertoire of moves, manoeuvres, and strategies.

A Salamence was a Dragon/Flying type Pokémon, as Jeremy's Pokédex explained from the stands. Sam knew this. Sam also new that Salamence were renowned and valued for their ferocity in a fight, their loyalty to their Trainers and their speed in the sky.

Sam knew that this Salamence was going to try and get into the sky and stay there, attacking the earthbound Gabite from above with strikes that were faster than lightning.

Sam knew how to stop it though, and Gabite was just the Pokémon for the job. "Gabite! Sandstorm, now! Extra hard, extra wind! I want as much dirt and dust as possible; we need to reduce Salamence's visibility, so it can't fly!"

"Yes! Way to go my boy! Rip that Pokémon to shreds! Destroy its advantage!" he called to Sam. Sam heeded the advice.

"Uh oh!" called Mr. Victree. He was just as surprised as everyone else that Sam had analysed Salamence so fast. Mr. Victree tried to get Salamence into the air as fast as possible, out of the range of the Sandstorm, but by the time he reacted it was too late.

Gabite had unleashed a Sandstorm so violent it was sending leaves, twigs and even small branches billowing around in the air.

Mr. Victree had to throw himself to the ground to avoid a branch that blew itself in his direction.

No one could see as they forced their eyes closed to keep sand from blinding them. Only Gabite, Aurelio and Sam could see.

Gabite went without saying. Aurelio because he was a spirit and weather phenomena did not usually disturb the dead.

Sam was able to see because, anticipating something like this in the future, bought a set of Go Goggles in Hearthome City. Though he had to travel across half the city to find them.

Sam called over the raging torrent of sand and wind to Gabite. "Gabite! You remember that game of Whack-a-Diglett we played in Hearthome?" he asked.

Gabite nodded. "Gabite!"

"You know what to do then!" called Sam, "Get up nice and close to Salamence and hit it with Dragon Rage close up, as many times as you can!"

"Gabite!" replied Gabite before she disappeared beneath the dirt, tunnel with the speed of a swimming Sharpedo.

Sounds of battle faintly echoed through the maelstrom, as well as the sounds of Salamence's torment. It did not last long though.

Within minutes the maelstrom of sand died down and Gabite was back at Sam's side, smiling happily as it had done its job.

Salamence on the other hand, had not fared so well. It was sprawled on the ground, exhausted and unconscious.

Mr. Victree was only stunned and couldn't manage to bring any words forth.

Nurse Joy was equally as stunned, as were Sam's friends on the bench.

Aurelio on the other hand was clapping and cheering loudly, like he was cheering on a sports team. He was proud of his grandson's quick thinking and affirmative action.

Sam had done what few Trainers of his experience could do. He had brought down a fully-grown and well-trained Salamence in the time it took to brew coffee. He identified its weakness, exploited it, and then moved in for the kill. Sam battled like a predator.

After a few moments of silence, Sam's friends started cheering from the bench, running up to meet him.

Nurse Joy proclaimed him the winner and Mr. Victree had to wipe sweat from his brow as he recalled his exhausted Salamence.

"I have to say, I didn't expect you to take down Salamence so fast," he laughed nervously, "I thought I had you there. You reacted like you've done this a thousand times."

Sam laughed as he extended his hand out to shake Victree's, "Something like that."

Mr. Victree chuckled and shook Sam's hand firmly, clearly pleased with the latter's skills as a Trainer. "I guess this means you get half off of your bill," he said, "Don't worry, you've earned it. Even if you'd lost I'd give it to you. You fight well; a calm level head with a cunning mind."

Sam thanked Mr. Victree, who led Sam and his friends inside to the lobby, so they could pay the bill. As they walked inside Sam froze, then looked over at the ghost of his grandfather.

Sam had noticed a picture on the wall next to a list of those who had won the challenge against the Victree family. On the list was the name 'Aurelio Giovinazzo', followed by 'Rowan Oak.' The picture was a picture of a young Professor Rowan and Aurelio shaking hands with someone who was most likely Mr. Victree's grandfather.

As if reading Sam's mind Aurelio laughed and shrugged, "You never asked."

Sam sighed; Aurelio had a point. But at the same time Sam was proud. He had started following in the footsteps of his grandfather, and something about that made Sam happy.

Suddenly, Niya interjected in Sam's thoughts. "You okay?" she asked.

Sam nodded, and he and Alyssandra exchanged a glance, as she seemed to understand the exchange going on between Sam and his ghostly grandfather.

"Just thinking; still can't believe I won that," explained Sam, giving an excuse.

"Understandable," smiled Niya, "I didn't think you'd win that—at least not like that. You're full of surprises…I don't know that I have anything left to teach you."

Niya frowned, as she seemed to lament the loss of student.

"Come on, you can't be out of material already," laughed Sam as he wrote out a cheque for the amount on the bill that Mr. Victree handed him.

Niya nodded, "I'm afraid so Sam," she replied sadly, yet still with the pride a teacher has for a successful student, "You're a fast learner and I only have so many years of experience over you. You'll need a new teacher soon."

"Who?" asked Sam with a frown. He could go to his grandfather, but the old ghostly man would probably say no. Despite how much Aurelio loved his grandson, he had told Sam before to find someone younger. Someone who's experienced was more up to date than his

Niya shrugged and walked over to her bags.

Sam could think of only one person. Perhaps he'd given him a call once he reached Veilstone City. But for now, Sam would have to worry about that later though.

Once Sam had paid it was time to get back on the road and keep moving. The Rapidash were released and saddled up. It was time to hit the road again. Sam would have to find a new mentor later; but if his gut feeling was right, he probably already had one.


	52. 50 - Return of the Hiker Brothers

~ Chapter 50 ~

Return of the Hiker Brothers

" _Oh, all the money that e'er I spent, I spent it in good company.  
And all the harm that e'er I've done, alas, it was to none but me.  
And all I've done for want of wit, to memory now I can't recall.  
So fill to me the parting glass. Good night and joy be with you all_ _"_

Sam and his friends sat around a campfire. A few days back they had run into old friends, the Hiker Brothers, Alan, Alexander, and Anthony.

The group had been travelling through the rainy, muddy hills of Route 215.

Lucky for the group the warmth of each of their Rapidash's flames had kept them warm for a time. From what information Jeremy could find on his Pokétch, it always rained on Route 215. Even Niya, who scarce travelled this route for that reason could confirm that.

It had made for a slow and muddy trek to Veilstone City.

The constant uphill and downhill terrain that kept switching without warning didn't help anything. Fed up, tired, and soaked to the core—a contrast to their warmth—the group decided to camp out in a small cave they found in a hillside.

It looked manmade, but old, and used for travellers for this very reason and so the group set up camp and waited. They had not, however, noticed the sign outside the cave, which had become overgrown by the massive tall grass, which covered the entire area in unsightly patches.

It was this sign that marked the cave as property of the Hiker Brothers.

Despite their intrusion, the Hiker Brothers merely laughed it off as fate. While they did mark this as their property, they did not blame travellers for not only missing the sign, but also for using the cave as refuge. This was the whole purpose the cave had been made in the first place according to Anthony.

More than once had the Hiker Brothers come travelling to their cave only to find a group of travellers camped out within. Most times the brothers only chose to share supplies and tips with the travellers, and to share the space with them. Very few gave them trouble for it.

It was only more fortuitous that the ones who had found the cave this time were old friends of the Brothers.

The reunion was a cheery one. Even Pikachu, who had spent much of the Mt. Coronet ordeal in his Poké Ball, seemed to be happily received by the Hiker Brothers. The rest of the day went by quickly as everyone worked to secure the cave for long-term inhabitancy by the Brothers.

The group created a door and front wall from old wood the brothers had brought along upon a wagon lugged by two, burly Tauros.

The brothers wished to make the place more comfy and warm.

They also created a small hole in the roof, which would act as a makeshift chimney for smoke. It allowed the gaseous burn off from campfires to safely drift outside and created airflow. A wooden enclosure covered the chimney so that rain did not fall in and could be closed in the event of flooding.

The walls were reinforced for stability, with heavy rock, brick, cement, and more wood. The Hiker Brothers were determined to make this hilly mound into a small little abode fit for anyone to live in long term.

More digging was undertaken to add an extension to the cavern, an extension that would become a storeroom for supplies, with a small cavern below, accessible by a ladder and a trap door that would act as a food cellar.

Everyone pitched in and helped. Sam, Niya, Jeremy, Alyssandra assisted the Hiker Brothers, while all of their Pokémon, led by Pikachu, Empoleon, Piplup and Roserade assisted the rugged Rock and Ground Type Pokémon brought by the Hiker Brothers. The Rapidash worked in tandem with the Tauros to help bright back lumber and other building materials from the surrounding area. It was the least they could do in exchange for the hospitality of the Hiker Brothers.

With as many hands as there were, both human and Pokémon, the work was mostly done within three days. At this point, the Hiker Brothers refused any more help, declaring that Sam and his friends had repaid their "debt" to him and his brothers.

Despite protests from the teenagers and their Pokémon, the brothers were adamant and eventually won out.

Sam and his friends were to leave the next day and leave the last day or so of work to the Brothers and their Pokémon, but not before they had a hearty dinner to celebrate the reunion and work completed together.

Dinner was not overly fancy, but it was certainly hearty. Fresh baked bread—as the Hiker Brothers decided to create a stone oven—vegetable soup, meet cooked for hours on a spit, two types of stews. Jeremy even contributed De Oliveira Secret Smoked, Glazed and Barbequed Chicken to the assortment of dishes.

For desert, Niya and Alyssandra made mille-feuille, a special, flaky, layered cake while Sam contributed something that his grandmother always referred to as cannoli. Sam had only just recently learned to make them. The shells and even the creamy filling was made from scratch, for the Hiker Brothers had brought all kinds of supplies with them.

For rugged outdoorsmen, they truly enjoyed living like kings. It was a grand dichotomy; despite being out in nature, they still managed to make anything liveable like home when it was possible.

Sam was locked in an engaging conversation with Alexander, when the conversation turned to Sam's future.

"Where do you plan on heading next?" asked Alexander as he munched on a cannolo, "Also, if I may add, these—cannoli did you call them? They're fantastic!"

"Thank you," smiled Sam happily, glad that his first attempt at cannoli hadn't led to half of the hovel burning to the ground, "Our plan is to go to Veilstone, and I'm going to challenge Maylene at the Gym there."

Alexander looked at Sam, "Good luck, my boy," he said sincerely, "She's a tough one, Maylene. Always full of surprises."

"I've got faith in my skills and my Pokémon," replied Sam with determination.

Alexander laughed, not unkindly though. "You'll need a right bit more than that, Sam," warned Alexander, "I'm not kidding. She's tough, Maylene. You're going to have your work cut out for you there. She's a different kind of Trainer all together. Just keep your wits about you."

Sam wasn't sure if he entirely understood what Alexander met, but he agreed. Something in Sam pinged with doubt, but Sam forced it so deep down in his mind it would've drowned were his thoughts water. He didn't need doubt, not right now. But he _would_ heed Alexander's warning, if only because Sam respected him enough to believe Alexander knew what he was talking about.

The conversation ended abruptly as Alan pulled out a small fiddle, and the three brothers hooted with laughter, then got together before the fire and the group and their Pokémon.

Within seconds of gathering they started to sing. Alan's playing was both mournful and cheerful. It brought emotions to those who listened, and Sam could tell Alan had been playing the fiddle for a long time, and that this was one of his favourite songs.

Then, in unison, Anthony and Alexander sang in perfect harmony.

"Of all the money, that e'er I had.

I spent it in, good company.

And all the e'er I've done,

Alas it was to none but me.

And all I've done, for want of wit.

To mem'ry now, I can't recall.

So, fill to me, the parting glass.

Goodnight, and joy be with you all.

Of all the comrades, that e'er I had.

They're sorry for my going away.

And all the sweethearts that e'er I've loved.

They would wish me one more day to say.

But since it falls, unto my lot,

That I should rise, and you should not.

I'll gently rise, and softly call,

'Goodnight, and joy be with you all.

A many may drink, and not be drunk.

A man may fight, and not be slain.

A man may court a pretty girl,

And perhaps be welcomed back again.

But since it has so ought to be,

By a time to rise and a time to fall,

Come fill to me the parting glass.

Goodnight, and joy be with you all.

Goodnight, and joy be with you all."

As the last notes died away from Alan's fiddle, and the song came to a harmonious close, there was not a single audience member, Pokémon or human, who did not find themselves overcome by moistened eyes.

"What song was that?" asked Sam as he wiped his eyes dry once more.

"The Parting Glass," smiled Alexander as he returned to his spot beside Sam, "It's been sung in my family for generations. It's customary to sing it when friends part—it's sort of like a ward from harm. If you sing it, you're sure to meet again one day, in good health and good spirits."

"Does it work?" asked Alyssandra curiously.

Anthony winked, "It has so far," he let out a chuckle.

"We figure, it can't hurt to ask for a little extra luck, right?" smiled Alexander, "Besides, we wanted to find a good way to thank you for everything, and a good show seemed best."

Sam nodded silently in agreement. Extra good luck never hurt anyone.

"Now!" said Alexander with a short grunt as he stood himself up, and dusted off his pants, "We'd best get sleeping hm? You four have an early day tomorrow—you'll want to get going early. You'll get a few dry hours in if you do, and every hour you spend dry is an hour that's not sapping the energy of you or your Pokémon."

Everyone nodded in agreement and assisted in the clean-up of the empty pots and pans and cutlery and dishes. Within a half hour everything was clean, and the fire had died down to a gentle glow.

Not big enough to keep people awake, but enough to keep the place warm overnight and provide enough light for anyone to see within the large space if they needed.

Exhaustion took over everyone as soon as they lay their heads down to sleep. Even Sam, whose nerves suddenly grasped his stomach just before he lay down to bed. Nerves about what he'd face when he battled Maylene for her badge in a few days.

He still had faith in himself and his Pokémon but…Alexander's warning had been so genuine that it was hard not to take it to heart. What _was_ Sam going to see when he faced her? What surprises were in store for him? Only time would tell.


	53. 51 - Veilstone City, Sam's First Defeat

~ Chapter 51 ~

Veilstone City, Sam's First Defeat

" _I should have listened to the Hiker Brothers' warning a lot closer than I did. I underestimated Maylene, and it cost me my winning streak. That's the funny thing about life though…you can't always win. In fact, you_ don't _always win. Sometimes you have to lose, and that's okay too. It's important to lose sometimes in life. It's important to lose. It teaches you a lot about yourself; your strengths and weaknesses. I've learned more from defeat than any of my successes, hands-down, any day. No wonder Fantina was so insistent I learn this lesson before I fought her. If Maylene was that strong, Fantina would've crushed me so totally I might have actually stopped challenging the Sinnoh League. I'm glad she made me learn."_

Sam stood before the Veilstone Gym.

Today was the day he was going to challenge Maylene, and win. He had all the confidence in the world he was going to do this. And he had the perfect Pokémon picked out for this match.

Of course, there was his Staravia. Old tried and true. Staravia was a Flying type Pokémon, making him the ideal pick to battle the Fighting type Pokémon of Maylene.

Next up on his roster was his Luxray. A secret weapon for dealing with Maylene's Meditite. Her Meditite was a well-known favourite of hers. With its Bite attack, Sam would be able to strike at Meditite's Psychic type affinity.

From what Sam had heard, her main Pokémon were her Machoke, her Lucario, and her Meditite. Though Sam didn't know what order she'd be using those Pokémon, he knew what Pokémon to prepare for.

Sam's final member of his roster was his Gabite. Though not ideal in terms of typing or moves against Fighting type Pokémon like Maylene's, its battle style and ability to hide underground made Gabite a tough appoint to hit. A bonus when fighting Pokémon that specialized in close quarters combat.

As Sam and his friends entered the Gym, Niya put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Maylene is surprisingly strong," she whispered to Sam, "Don't be surprised if it's overwhelming."

"I'll be fine," lied Sam.

Something he had no told anyone for the past few days was that he had this overwhelming feeling in his gut. Dread. Dread and fear. To a level and degree, Sam had never felt before. Something in the warning the Hiker Brother's had given him about Maylene was starting to hit him.

Sam shoved that down beneath his confidence once more.

Niya sighed and took her seat next to Alyssandra and Jeremy in the bleachers. "This isn't going to end well, is it?" she whispered to Jeremy.

He merely shook his head. He had a feel, just like everyone, that this fight was not going to be pretty.

Pikachu sat on Sam's shoulder, hoping to provide support from the front lines. Sam and Pikachu didn't always hang out together, as Pikachu often preferred Niya or Alyssandra—who often broke easier when it came to feeding Pikachu Oran Berries—but Pikachu was there to support Sam when he needed it. Now was such a time.

As Sam looked around, he noticed the place was empty. There was no referee, there was no Maylene.

Sam raised an eyebrow. He had an appointment to fight Maylene at eleven thirty today. According to his Pokétch, it was only eleven twenty-five. Sure, Maylene had five minutes, but, typically a Gym Leader would be there waiting. Ready to fight. Prepared.

Suddenly, a door in the back of the room opened, and a girl walked out. Dabbing sweat from her body with a towel. A Machoke followed her, drinking from a massive jug of water.

There was no mistaking it. This was Maylene.

Maylene froze as she saw Sam standing there on the field, ready to battle. "Uh oh," she blurted out.

Sam raised an eyebrow. This was the mighty Maylene of Veilstone?

Maylene was short. About five feet. With a slim frame. While Sam could see muscle tone, Maylene still looked like a bean pole to the untrained eye. Her hair was pink; short and cropped, flipping out on either side. She wore blue, fingerless gloves, a blue and black sports suit, and white shitabaki. Maylene was barefoot, which played true to her nickname as the "Barefoot, Fighting Genius."

The look on Maylene's face looked as if she was not expecting Sam at all. In fact, she looked as if she just finished an intense workout. "Are you my eleven thirty?" she asked.

Sam looked over at his friends. They had nothing. "Sam Accardi. We had a match just about now," he responded.

"Crap," panicked Maylene. She chugged an entire bottle of water and tossed it off to the side of the room, "Machoke can you battle?"

The Pokémon roared its name with confidence, flexing its multitude of muscles. "Machooooke!"

Maylene smiled, looking at Sam. She took her spot opposite him. She looked over at Sam's friends. "Um, I think I may have forgotten to book a referee for this match. Are any of you officiated?"

Niya raised her hand. "I am. My aunt taught me how." She left the stands, hopping the small wall that separated the bleachers from the field.

Maylene passed the flags to Niya as Niya took her spot in the referee's box at the side of the field.

"Your aunt?" wondered Maylene.

"Fantina Konstantinova," explained Niya as she prepared herself to referee.

"Oh!" beamed Maylene, "You must be Niya!"

"I am," smiled Niya nervously.

"Your aunt has mentioned you before. It's a pleasure," she smiled, "Anyway, forgive me! I have a battle to fight here!"

"Machoke!" cried Maylene's Pokémon.

Maylene closed her eyes and breathed deeply. There was a calm silence over the field. Suddenly, Maylene's eyes shot open. Her face totally changed as she prepared to battle Sam.

Sam felt the tension in the room. Hell, he could've sworn he felt the bond between Maylene and Machamp. Sam started panicking internally.

"Pika-pi!" cried Pikachu from his shoulder, sensing Sam's unnerved state.

Sam sighed, nodded, and cleared his head. He saw his grandfather standing behind him from the corner of his eyes.

"Easy there my boy," he warned, "Maylene's got the same crazy look in her eye that Valentina did during the Hearthome Tournament."

"I'll be fine," whispered Sam, "I've got this."

"There's honour in retreat too," muttered Aurelio, sighing, "Don't be afraid to pull out if it gets to be too much."

Sam gritted his teeth.

"Come beat me, if you can!" cried Maylene. She was ferocious.

Tossing his first Poké Ball in the air, Sam released his Staravia onto the field.

"Staravia!" cried the Pokémon fiercely.

"Staravia! Wing Attack!" cried Sam.

"What's wrong with Sam?" asked Alyssandra, chewing her lip.

Jeremy shrugged. "What do you mean?"

"Sam never rushes in head on like that," explained Alyssandra, "He just charged in without thinking. There was no strategy, no planning. Just straight up attacking. That's not normal."

Jeremy paused for a moment. "You're right. Is he going to be okay?"

Alyssandra bit her lip but couldn't respond. She knew the answer.

Maylene watched Staravia near her Machoke. She didn't react, merely waited silently. Her face had grown serious.

Sam smirked. Over confident. His Staravia's wings glowed brighter as the Pokémon neared the Machoke.

Machoke didn't respond. It stood there, gritting its teeth, waiting for Maylene's orders.

Maylene did nothing though. She waited. Sat there. Waited for Staravia to near Machoke.

"Sam pull Staravia back now!" cried Aurelio from his grandson's side. Aurelio had a feeling in his gut. A feeling that told him only bad could come from attacking Machoke head on.

Sam didn't listen in time.

"Machoke, Rock Throw!" cried Maylene.

Machoke reacted instantly. It slammed its fists into the ground, causing rocks and debris to fly into the air. Then, using its speed and massive strength, began hurling rocks at Staravia.

Sam couldn't react in time. His timing was off. He was unnerved, and he panicked. Staravia panicked too.

He tried dodging a few of the rocks, but most of the rocks hit Staravia head on. Slamming the Pokémon hard.

Staravia hit the ground, near unconscious and in pain. Its wings looked damaged, if not broken, and it clearly couldn't withstand anymore.

"Sam pull out now!" cried Aurelio, "That Machoke isn't going to stop. Maylene's ruthless!"

Niya bit her lip so hard it bled.

Jeremy covered his eyes.

Pikachu cried out in fear for his friend.

"Sam!" cried Aurelio.

Sam couldn't move, he just watched dumbly as Maylene had Machoke prepare a Drain Punch. The massive Pokémon ran towards Staravia, read to slam its glowing, green fist into Staravia.

"Sam, get a hold of yourself!" cried Alyssandra, "Forfeit now or your Staravia is going to suffer, badly!"

Sam snapped back into reality at the sound of Alyssandra's voice. Determination and pain on his face, he stepped back out of his trainer's box. With a sigh, he raised recalled his Staravia, just as Machoke slammed his fist into the ground where the bird Pokémon once lay.

"I forfeit!" cried Sam, "I give up…for now."

Maylene smiled. Then recalled her Machoke to her. Within seconds her face at changed from that of a determined, serious, silent battler to her happy, clueless state again.

"Yay! We won!" she smiled, cheering with her Machoke.

Sam sighed.

His grandfather put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "You did the right thing, my boy. No shame in retreat. You and your Pokémon will live on, learn, and come back to fight another day."

"The challenger, Sam Accardi, has withdrawn his Pokémon and forfeited the match. The victor is Gym Leader Maylene and her Machoke," called Niya, raising her flag towards Maylene. Her face was heavy, and she looked at Sam with concern.

Sam looked down at the ground.

Maylene approached him, cheerily. "You okay?" she asked.

Sam looked up. He was speechless. "I just…wasn't expecting to lose so fast."

"I…I get that a lot," replied Maylene, "Not to brag! I don't even know how I do it really. I never expect to win…it just…happens."

Sam grunted in response.

"I'm sorry," she said, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder, "I hope your Pokémon is okay. Let Staravia know I hope it gets better soon? I'm here whenever you're ready to challenge me again."

"Thanks," mumbled Sam before turning on his heel and walking out of the Gym.

Pikachu watched him from Sam's shoulder, while the rest of his friends thanked Maylene and scrambled after Sam.

Sam sat on the balcony of the Pokémon Centre, just outside of the group's room.

Alyssandra sat with him. Sam had been silent all day, still reeling from his defeat. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"I…" was all Sam could manage.

Alyssandra placed a hand on his shoulder, hoping to reassure him. "This was your first loss since the Hearthome Battle Tournament," stated Alyssandra, "But I'm willing to bet this slump goes back to before today."

Sam looked at his friend with a sigh. "I…maybe?" responded Sam, "Maybe. When I lost at the Hearthome Battle Tournament, or when I forfeited I should say, I was able to remind myself that it was because my opponent was far too skilled for me to take on. Luxray Girl was a three or four-time champion of the Hearthome Battle Tournament. There was no way I was beating that."

"Fair point," nodded Alyssandra.

"My win against Mr. Victree restored my confidence but…" Sam paused, "The last few days, since we met the Hiker Brothers, I've been worried about my match with Maylene. Everyone kept telling me to be careful. Normally I wouldn't have panicked like I did and unnerved my Pokémon but…all the warnings started to get to me. I got rash, I charged. Maylene took advantage of that and Staravia hard. I panicked because of that…it was all downhill from there."

Alyssandra looked at Sam and placed a hand on the crook of his arm. "You weren't yourself out there," she added, "I saw it. But you challenged Maylene anyway."

"I was stupid," interjected Sam.

"Maybe. But you knew when to throw in the towel, and though your Staravia got hurt, things aren't as bad as they could have been," reassured Alyssandra.

"I guess," smiled Sam, "Staravia would've been worse off if that Drain Punch landed."

"Exactly!" smiled Alyssandra, "And hey. You can take this time to learn from your defeat and get stronger."

"And come back swinging," smiled Sam.

"Exactly," winked Alyssandra, "You're a good, strong Trainer. Don't doubt that. Even good Trainers lose."

"Just ask Rowan," chuckled Aurelio from the other side of the balcony.

Sam sighed, but smiled. His friends had managed to cheer him up.

"Your grandfather's here isn't he?" smiled Alyssandra, seeing Sam's sudden reaction.

"Don't lose heart, my boy. You'll get stronger, you'll win next time. Hell, even I lost sometimes!" added Aurelio, "It happens to everyone. And you know what? You're going to lose, but you'll learn so much more from failing than from winning."

"I don't know what he's saying, but he's right Sam," smiled Alyssandra, hands on her hips.

"All right, all right. I get the point," cried Sam. He stood up and walked over to the railing. He looked out over Veilstone City. It was big, but not as big as Hearthome or as urbanized as Jubilife. There were cars and sounds and lights and a night life that was lacking in Twinleaf though.

"I'm going to get stronger, and I'm going to beat Maylene," smiled Sam through gritted teeth, "And I'm not going to back down. And if I lose again? I'm just going to keep coming back until I win, or I get strong enough to go right to Valentina!"

Sam's mind had been made up. His passion had been reignited by his grandfather and his best friend. He might lose a hundred times to Maylene, or he might get his badge on the next try. But no matter what, he was going to keep learning, and keep pushing forward until he was at the Pokémon League, fighting the Elite Four and aiming for title of League Champion.

He'd be damned if anyone was going to try and stop him.

' _Just let someone try,_ ' smiled Sam, thinking to himself, ' _Tomorrow's a new day!'_


	54. 52 - Team Galactic Returns

~ Chapter 52 ~

Team Galactic Returns

" _Fresh off my defeat at the hands of Maylene, I decided to spend the next week training in and around Veilstone City alongside my friends. Jeremy, Niya and Alyssandra all helped my Pokémon get stronger through battle. My strategies were polished and finalized and tweaked and added to after a few days. But the rest of the week was used for practice and refinement. That didn't, however, stop us from getting distracted though. For all my burning desire to beat Maylene, I also can't ignore someone in trouble. We ran into Dawn and Lucas Oak again, who ended up also running into Team Galactic."_

Sam sat down, ripping apart his sandwich ravenously.

Alyssandra had decided to make one for the entire group as they took a break from training Sam and his Pokémon for a rematch with Maylene later this week.

In the middle of the summer, the Sinnoh Region was at its hottest and the sun was beating down hard on the four teens and their Pokémon as they trained in the foothills just outside the city.

From their altitude, the group could see the wide-open North Sinnoh Sea. A large shipping harbour, a mass of warehouses covered the northern shores of Veilstone City. From here, ships would carry goods and cargo to Canalave and Snowpoint, as well as the Battle Zone.

All three ports—Snowpoint, Veilstone and Canalave—exported and imported goods from all the other regions of the world. Unova to Kanto, Hoenn to Johto and even Orre.

It was a beautiful sight.

"One day soon we'll be in Canalave, and Snowpoint," sighed Jeremy, "I can't wait."

"I know," laughed Alyssandra, "Before this adventure, the largest city we had ever been in was Jubilife once or twice. It's so much different from small town life in Twinleaf Town.

"I remember the last time we were here," laughed Niya, "We never got to see it like this. It's even more amazing this time around."

"We were never allowed out of our families' sights," interjected Sam, "After Jeremy and I nearly ran up a bill at the Game Corner, could you blame our parents?"

Jeremy looked at Sam and sighed. "Just have to bring that up, don't you?"

"Hey, I was just as responsible as you!" corrected Sam.

Niya burst out laughing. "Nearly ran up a bill? More like ran up a massive bill being all competitive! Thank goodness you weren't playing for any of the larger stakes like the adult section of the Game Corner."

"And that's why you two are never allowed near a Game Corner without supervision and a budget," smirked Alyssandra as she finished up her sandwich.

Sam stood up and dusted himself off. Looking down into the stony valley below that nestled and cradled Veilstone City. "Come on, let's head back."

"So soon?" wondered Niya as she stood up and joined him, "I thought you wanted to keep training?"

"I do," nodded Sam, "But I don't want to push my Pokémon too hard. Staravia is still flying a little slower than before. That Rock Throw did some damage. I'm glad I backed out when I did."

Jeremy nodded. "It could have been a lot worse."

Sam nodded back.

The group got up and gathered their things. They followed the narrow, well-worn, dirt trails back down to Veilstone City. The paths led down to the eastern end of the city, where several tourist attractions lay. Namely the series of large, unearthly meteorites that struck down outside the city two decades ago.

Since then, they had become one of the main draws to Veilstone City. They attracted Trainers, collectors, tourists and scientists and scholars. No one could discern what the purpose of these stones were, only that they were different from other meteorites.

The group reached the city from the foothills in a matter of a half hour. A few minutes past the meteorites and their craters and the group was back in the heart of Veilstone City. The streets were filling up more than during the day as tourists came out to explore the city's night life.

The Game Corner was the main draw to the city at night.

Sam and his friends kept to the side of the sidewalk and streets. Keeping away from the large crowds that flocked to restaurants and the Game Corner.

"It was even worse during that matsuri years ago, remember?" smiled Niya.

Sam nodded. He remembered almost getting separated from his grandmother several times. It was crazy.

As they neared the Pokémon Centre near the harbour where the group was staying, Sam heard a people screaming somewhere around the corner.

Sam froze. "You hear that?"

Niya nodded. Jeremy and Alyssandra did as well.

They had heard someone struggling, screaming at someone. Someone was being accosted in the harbour area.

"Let's go," cried Sam as he ran off in the direction of the screaming.

Three voices. Young. Two males, one female. Their opponents older, grown up. Male. That much Sam could discern. As for what was going on? He would soon find out.

Sam and his friends burst through the alleyway to find Dawn and Lucas Oak, as well as blonde friend about their age being confronted by several Team Galactic Grunts.

Pokémon were out. Some literally knocked out. Things were looking good for Dawn, Lucas, or their friend.

"Go, Roserade!" cried Niya before anyone else could do the same.

Jeremy sent his Pikachu charging after Roserade.

Alyssandra sent her Lopunny.

Sam sent his Empoleon.

The Pokémon rushed towards the enemies. Two Zubat, a Stunky and a Croagunk. An unconscious and wounded Piplup, Chimchar and Turtwig lay before the three kids, being protected by them.

Dawn, Lucas, and their friend watched in amazement as Sam and his friends jumped in front of them and battled of the Team Galactic Grunts.

"Empoleon, Aqua Jet at Croagunk!" cried Sam, "Get in close, hit him with a Peck, and when he's weakened, rub salt in the wound with Brine!"

Empoleon bashed its metal body, covered in a jet of water, into Croagunk with the force of a fire hose.

"Lopunny! Get in close with a Dizzy Punch, and once Stunky's head is spinning hit it with Shadow Ball!" cried Alyssandra.

Lopunny struck at Stunky with its small, furry—but powerful—fists. The force of the punch sent Zubat flying, confusing it as it spun in circles in the air, dazed and lost.

Jeremy sent Pikachu after one of the Zubat's with an Electro Ball, followed by a Double Team, and then a Discharge.

Niya teamed up with Jeremy against the other Zubat. While both Zubat got hit by Discharge, Niya sent in her Roserade with a Weather Ball. It was a gamble, because the typing of Weather Ball always changed. But this time it worked in Niya's favour as the Weather Ball turned into a ball of rocks, dust, and stone. It whirled as a Rock type move towards the second Zubat as a dust storm.

"Are you guys okay?" asked Sam, taking a moment in the confusion to check on the Oaks and their friend.

Dawn nodded.

"Team Galactic grabbed us and dragged us into the alley," explained Lucas, "We tried battling them, but they were too strong…they took our Pokédexes. They said the information inside them was necessary for their plans."

Empoleon cried out as Croagunk came back at it with Poison Jab.

Sam whirled around and commanded his Empoleon to dodge.

The attack just barely missed his Pokémon's side, and Sam told Empoleon to teach Croagunk a lesson with another Brine.

Explosions shook the alleyway as the sun sunk low into the sky, and several minutes later, Sam and his friends stood victorious behind their Pokémon.

The Pokémon all breathed hard, ragged, and tired. They had put up quite the fight against the enemy and won out in the end.

"Give back the Pokédexes," called Sam as the grunts scrambled to gather up their fainted Pokémon, "Now."

Sam wasn't messing around here. Team Galactic was starting to piss him off. They had no respect for anyone. Sam was starting to see just how cruel they could be; even worse than Professor Rowan had first described.

Ever since Eterna City, Sam had nothing but disgust and disdain for Team Galactic and anyone with them.

"We—we need them!" cried one of the two grunts, clearly afraid.

"Our boss will hurt us if we come back empty handed!" cried the other, "You don't understand. These Pokédexes are so rare…we…we need them!"

"What for?" hissed Niya, stepping forward. She had grabbed a metal pipe that she found near a dumpster nearby. Niya looked ready to swing.

"We need them to help us—" the second grunt elbowed the first in the gut, winding and silencing him at once.

"We will create the perfect world! No, the perfect universe! You kids won't stop us!" cried the second grunt.

Niya dashed forward, swinging her pipe. "You give back those Pokédexes right now or so help me I will start cracking skulls!"

The grunts yelped and leapt out of the way. The second grunt instantly shut his mouth and handed the three Pokédexes to Niya before running back around the corner and disappearing near where the warehouses grew thickets.

Niya handed the Pokédexes back to Dawn, Lucas, and their friend.

"Thanks," muttered the blonde friend.

Dawn hugged Niya, while Lucas shook her and Sam's hands.

"Thank you. You guys saved us," sighed Dawn, "You came at just the right time."

"It was a complete fluke, but I'm glad we could help," smiled Sam.

"You guys were so cool!" cried the blonde friend.

Sam raised an eyebrow at him, though clearly flattered.

"I'm Barry!" cried the blonde kid, "We grew up together in Twinleaf Town. Well…sort of. You were a few years ahead of me in Trainer School, but I remember you! You grew up to be so cool!"

The four teens blushed as Barry fawned over them and their skills. All they did was jump in and protect their friends in need. There wasn't anything that special about it.

Niya and Sam tried to explain this to Barry, but he was having none of it, and was insistent that Sam and his friends were really super heroes and deserved medals.

The fawning of Barry was cut short, however. "So, we meet again," called a familiar voice.

Everyone wheeled around to see Looker materializing from a shadow against a nearby building. His face was covered in black paint. His clothes were a dark grey colour, blending in with the stone and sheet metal buildings around.

"Looker!" cried Sam, "You saw all that?"

Looker nodded. "The end of it all. I was going to jump in but…you seemed to have the situation under control."

"Boy did they ever!" cried Barry, "Who are you?"

Looker stepped forward and pulled out a gold badge. "Looker. International Police," he said, flashing his badge to Barry, "Why is it I always find you kids near Team Galactic?"

Looker smiled and so did Sam and his friends. "Bad luck?" chuckled Sam.

Looker smirked. "I heard you taught the Black Claw Gang a lesson by accident. Valentina and Cynthia told me they broke up a poaching operation outside Hearthome. Nasty business."

Niya nodded. "They're truly terrible people."

Looker agreed. "They truly are. Because of you we've got more InterPol officers in Sinnoh, undercover and keeping an eye out for Black Claw activities. I have to thank you; for as dangerous as what you did was."

"Danger seems to attract us, usually disguised as harmless fun," sighed Jeremy, "We learn to live with it." He shrugged.

"So, what _are_ you doing here, Looker?" wondered Alyssandra, "Is Team Galactic taking over Veilstone like they did Eterna?"

"I heard that Team Galactic had a headquarters here, and a warehouse. They've been working on something top secret. But I can't find which of these warehouses is theirs. Or which of the buildings here belongs to them." Looker looked frustrated with the situation. He sighed, calmed himself, the smiled. "But when you beat them they got careless. I managed to catch which warehouse the two grunts scrambled off to. I'm going to try sneaking in and see what I can find."

"You going to be okay alone?" wondered Sam.

Looker smiled. "Tell you what." Looker reached into his pocket and pulled out a card. On it was Looker's name, number, and badge information. "When I strike at the heart of Team Galactic, I'll invite you guys along."

"Is it really wise to invite teenagers on a sting operation?" wondered Dawn, sceptically.

"I've seen what these kids can do," reassured Looker, "This isn't the first time they've interrupted Team Galactic's plans. Between that fiasco at the Pokétch Company and the Valley Windworks. Not to mention the Eterna Incident. Well, these kids are probably more equipped to take down Team Galactic than I am."

Sam swelled with pride. As did his friends.

It seemed every time Team Galactic tried to strike at someone—either someone they knew, or people they didn't—Sam and his friends were always there to stop them, disrupt them, or cut their operations short.

No one knew if it was fate, or luck, or purposeful. But it was what was, and it was the truth.

"Give us a call, we'll be right there when you need us," smiled Sam, taking Looker's card from him, "I'm guessing with your connections you won't need our numbers to get a hold of us?"

Looker smiled but didn't respond. "All right. I'm going to go scope out the warehouse. It's best you and your friends get out of here for now. I'll be in touch."

Sam nodded, and everyone shook Looker's hand before he disappeared off into the warehouses by the harbour.

Sam and his friends took Looker's advice and led the Oaks and Barry out of the alley and back towards the main roads of Veilstone City.

As the group walked back to the Pokémon Centre, Sam and his friends poured questions over the trio.

"How long have you been in Veilstone?" wondered Sam.

"A few days?" answered Dawn, "Barry met us in Hearthome the day after we met you and we set off for Pastoria City. We caught some Pokémon in the Great Marsh, and then travelled along the south-eastern coast of Sinnoh towards Lake Valor. Spent a few days by the lake and then travelled up to Veilstone."

"How'd you like the marshes?" asked Niya.

Lucas nodded. "Wet, and cold. But the Pokémon there are like none other. Crawling with wild Pokémon. A great thing for Trainer's like us."

Jeremy smiled. "You've been keeping out of trouble besides today, right?"

Barry nodded. "Sure have!" exclaimed Barry, "Dawn won't let us get into any trouble!"

"Good, I'm glad," chuckled Alyssandra, "Dawn sounds very—"

"Boring?" interjected Sam.

"Practical," corrected Alyssandra.

"Boring," stated Sam definitively.

Alyssandra shoved him.

"Are you two dating?" asked Barry, eyes wide, "Oh my gosh! I always knew you would end up together!"

Niya and Jeremy burst out laughing. Alyssandra turned the colour of a strawberry and Sam avoided eye contact with everyone except the ground.

"They aren't dating," laughed Niya, wiping a tear from her eyes, "Just really good friends."

"Oh, that's too bad. You two always looked like you liked each other," said Barry, frowning.

Dawn wrapped her arm around Barry's neck, pulled him into a headlock and kept him silent by gently choking him. "Forgive him! He got hit on the head a few days ago, he's not…all there right now!"

Lucas simply sighed and facepalmed.

"Hey, let's grab dinner!" cried Jeremy, "Let's get something to eat. I think we're all hungry after that excitement back there. How's that sound?"

Lucas and Dawn agreed. So, did Sam, Niya and Alyssandra—still a shade of red. Barry gurgled his agreement from the headlock. And so, went the group of seven teens.

Tired, but laughing all the way despite everything they had just gone through.


	55. 53 - Rematch with Maylene

~ Chapter 53 ~

Rematch with Maylene

" _My rematch with Maylene did more than just earn me my badge. It earned me the friendship of another Trainer and Gym Leader, Maylene. I'll be honest; so much of that battle is a blur to me. I don't remember much. But I remember the victory after. I had used Pokémon with no particular advantage or disadvantage against Fighting type Pokémon. It was my Luxray, my Gabite and my Cranidos. I had my edge back. My element of surprise; my wit and ability to maximize a Pokémon's strengths over their type match-ups was perfected in this battle. Battling like that is what made me famous."_

"Gabite, use Dragon Rage!" cried Sam.

"Dodge, Lucario!" was Maylene's quick-time response.

Her Lucario narrowly escaped the flames, retreating back closer to its Trainer.

There was a short pause before Lucario pressed the offensive again, going in at Gabite with a Metal Claw.

Gabite, at Sam's command, grabbed Lucario's paw in its mouth with his sharp teeth, and bit down hard. Using all of his strength, Gabite tossed Lucario across the arena, back towards Maylene.

Sam stood there, sweat beading on his brow as he watched Maylene and her Lucario. Sam's Gabite panted heavily as it waited for the equally as exhausted Lucario to strike.

Sam was in the middle of his match with Maylene.

He fought this battle alone. His grandfather waited quietly in the stands, while his friends, Pikachu, as well as Dawn, Lucas and Barry watched with baited breath, standing in the side lines as the battle came down to a hair.

In the first round, Sam used his Cranidos against Maylene's Meditite. Cranidos was small, but she hit like a truck. Though Meditite was sturdy for a small Pokémon, it's defensive moves and diversionary long-range tactics were no match for Cranidos's sheer ability to demolish anything in its path.

Maylene's Machoke was her second Pokémon, making short work of Cranidos. Sam sent out Luxray second. Machoke was surprisingly quick, and its Rock Tomb would've made short work of a Pokémon like Staravia, and it had in the past.

But Luxray was faster. Luxray could also take a hit.

Karate Chop, Strength—they barely left a scratch.

Rock Throw was too slow for Machoke to land a hit with.

In the end, Luxray wore away at Machoke until he was exhausted, then brought the Pokémon down by sinking his teeth into the Pokémon's forearm.

While Machoke tried to defend against a feint Bite attack, it sacrificed its forearm, hoping to grab Luxray at close range and smash the Pokémon with its physical attacks.

But Luxray let out a horrific Thunder Fang just as Machoke went to move. The lightning surged through Machoke's body and knocked the Pokémon out.

Luxray collapsed shortly after the second round was called in favour of Sam.

Sam gave the Pokémon his rest and sent out his Gabite.

Gabite had been with Sam the shortest time and had seen the fewest battles. But Sam had been rectifying that lately, especially with this battle.

Lucario, however, seemed to be evenly matched with Gabite. Though neither had a type advantage over the other, they were both also equally as strong, fast, and quick on their feet, and they both hit just as hard.

Both Pokémon were exhausted, and everyone was waiting with anticipation and anxiety to see who would win.

Sam knew the next few moves would decide the match. He needed to be quick, and smart about this. He couldn't afford to lose a second time. That wouldn't be right; not after all the hard work he put into training himself and his Pokémon for this rematch.

Lucario was quick, had keen eyes, and could even see through the use of Aura if well trained enough. But from what Sam could see, Maylene's Lucario was only somewhat adept at Aura Sensing.

Enough disturbances in the way of the second sight might "blind" the Pokémon to it. It wouldn't be able to see Gabite at all…not until it was too late.

Sam smiled. He had a plan. "Gabite, Sandstorm! Make it a big one!"

Maylene, serious once more as her mind focused on the battle, narrowed her eyes as she tried to understand what Sam was doing.

She smirked. "You know Lucario will just see right through it," she called.

Sam said nothing.

Gabite howled its determination and loosed a Sandstorm that engulfed the entire arena.

The wind from the gale knocked those who were watched back into their seats except Aurelio who, as a ghost, was unaffected.

They shielded their eyes, and Pikachu struggled to hold on.

"Jeez," hissed Jeremy, trying to keep his mouth closed so he wasn't eating sand, "What's Sam trying to do, blind us?"

"Pika-pi!" cried Pikachu.

Dawn and Lucas held tightly onto their hats and scarves, and Alyssandra lost her handkerchief to the gale as she tried to shield her mouth with it.

"I hope he knows what he's doing," cried Niya over the howling wind.

Aurelio smiled. "I think I'm starting to understand. It's your Gabite tactics. Blind the enemy, and strike from below."

Sam looked at Gabite, and Gabite understood. Sam needn't say anything.

The Pokémon jumped up and dived into the ground headfirst. More dirt and sand blew into the gale as Gabite dug his way into the ground beneath the field. Sam could see, briefly, the dorsal fin that was Gabite as it dug its way towards the enemy Lucario.

"Lucario!" cried Maylene over the sand and wind, "Use your Aura Sensing abilities to see Gabite!"

But Maylene's voice betrayed the confidence in Lucario she tried to convey.

Lucario closed its eyes and tried to look for the shining mass of blue energy that was its opponent. But Lucario couldn't. The sand from the sandstorm blocked its ability to see.

Lucario began to panic, frantically searching the field for Gabite. It opened its eyes—its last mistake.

Lucario cried out as sand entered its eyes, blinding it further and causing the Pokémon pain.

Before it knew it, Gabite erupted from the ground behind it, and slammed Lucario with a Dragon Rage.

Lucario cried out louder as the Sandstorm abated and it was sent flying across the field. Still blinded and writhing around from it, Lucario was hit by another Dragon Rage.

The one pinned Lucario to the ground.

Gabite finishing Lucario by using Take Down, slamming itself into the weakened, struggling Pokémon from above, causing an indentation in the ground.

As Gabite returned to Sam, the judge—now an official Pokémon League Judge—called the match in favour for Sam, as Lucario was deemed unable to battle as a distressed Maylene returned him to his Poké Ball.

Maylene thanked her Pokémon, but before she could walk over to congratulate Sam and hand him his Gym Badge, Gabite began to glow.

The Pokémon cried out as Sam smiled triumphantly.

Aurelio cheered from the side lines, as did Niya.

They knew what was going on.

Gabite began to change and morph, grow as the white light enveloped its body.

As the light exploded outward, raining down as small white sparkles of energy, Gabite was no more, and in his place, stood a mighty, proud Garchomp.

Alyssandra smiled, proud of Sam; she turned to Jeremy. "Garchomp are not easy to raise," she explained, "Valentina has one and it took her forever to get her Gabite to unlock its true potential. I don't know how Sam does it, but he seems to be able to find his Pokémon's true potential really quickly."

"Yeah, it's a far cry from where he was with Gible a month ago," smiled Niya, "That Pokémon kept trying to bite his arm off."

Aurelio laughed from the stands above. "Natural skill, that's what it is!" he cried to no one in particular. He knew no one but Sam could hear him.

Sam hugged his new Garchomp and thanked the Pokémon for its hard work—congratulating him on his evolution.

"You worked hard," laughed Sam, "You earned this evolution. You take a nice, long rest now, okay?"

Garchomp roared happily, nuzzling into Sam's cheek.

Sam laughed and returned his Pokémon to its Poké Ball before turning to Maylene.

She stared at Sam in amazement, completely in disbelief. For a moment, Sam was afraid she was angry with him.

Then suddenly, Maylene began to laugh, loud, long, and hard. She doubled over, clutching her gut. Maylene wiped a tear from her eye as she caught her breath and finally responded.

"I have never met a Trainer quite like you before," she smiled at Sam, handing him his Cobble Badge, "I get very competitive as a Gym Leader. It's almost like I enter a trance when I battle. It brings a thrill! You though, have given me the biggest thrill and rollercoaster at the same time."

Sam took his badge.

"I beat you the first time, and I thought I had you figured out," smiled Maylene, "A loud mouth who thought he was a prodigy. I took extra pleasure cutting your wings and plucking your plumage from you. I thought I dressed you down to who you really were. I figured you just got lucky against Roark and Gardenia…then you came back today, and you demolished me. You surprised me, using Pokémon that I never would have thought would beat me own, using moves and tactics I never expected. I realize now you are every bit the prodigy everyone says you are, and I can't wait to see you go far. You can expect to see me there when you fight the Elite Four, that's for sure."

"Thank you," beamed Sam, "I appreciate it. I'm glad for the chance to prove myself to you."

"You don't need to prove yourself to anyone," Maylene warned, "You proved yourself to yourself. If you fight to prove yourself to someone else, you'll lose every time. Fight for yourself, and for your Pokémon. That's all that matters."

Sam nodded. He took Maylene's words to heart and would remember to be mindful of them for the remainder of his life.

Sam's friends rushed towards him, Dawn, Lucas, and Barry included, and grabbed him, hugging him tight and throwing them up on their shoulders. Sam didn't last long up there sadly; as his friends collapsed from the disorganized attempt to carry him.

Sam held back laughter as he saw his grandfather standing there, hands out, trying to catch people, before realizing he couldn't.

Sam looked up at Maylene from beneath the pile of his friends. "Would you like to join us for a celebratory dinner? It's customary we invite the Gym Leader out with us."

Maylene laughed. "I would love to!"

Maylene helped everyone up and rushed out the door of the Gym with everyone, leaving the judge alone to clean up the Gym. It was a night full of laughter, happiness, and newfound friendship.

Dawn, Lucas, and Barry enjoyed learning from Maylene and picking her brain for knowledge and information on how to be good Pokémon Trainers.

A free meal didn't hurt either.

Maylene was surprisingly spirited and well mannered—something that completely betrayed her in-battle persona. The cold, competitive exterior had melted away to reveal a kind-hearted and laugh-loving soul.

It was an enjoyable celebration dinner.


	56. 54 - The Firs Train to Hearthome

~ Chapter 54 ~

The First Train to Hearthome

" _The first train to Hearthome was early in the morning. We booked seats for it and everything. Then…we forgot to set our alarms for the morning and slept in. We missed it. We spent the rest of the day scrambling around trying to get seats on the next train. We almost had to wait another day for availability, until someone cancelled their seats on the Midnight Train to Hearthome last minute. We booked our tickets sometime around five in the afternoon, and then went off for some food. We were done dinner by about seven and had nothing better to do but sit around outside the Train Station. Until Lyss decided she wanted to battle…"_

The ground napped underneath a tree, just outside of the Train Station. It was seven at night; within the clock tower of the Veilstone Train Station, a bell rang out the time.

Crickets chirped somewhere in the grass and sung their songs on this hot summer evening. It was peaceful. More peaceful than the group had deserved after such a long and hectic day.

They were tired, they were full of warm food, and they were all about to suffer a bout of sleep coma if they weren't careful.

They couldn't risk missing their train again.

Niya kept an eye on time with one eye open, peaking every few minutes to ensure she kept herself awake.

Sam was about to fall asleep himself when suddenly Alyssandra shot up, shoving him awake.

"Hey, you, up now!" she cried, shaking Sam mercilessly.

Sam jolted upright. "What the hell woman? What is it? The park better be on fire."

Alyssandra smiled at him. "No, actually. But I'm bored, I'm falling asleep, and I want to battle."

Sam sighed, running his hands over his eyes. "Do I _have_ to?"

Alyssandra grabbed Sam's arm and dragged him towards the nearby open field. She wasn't taking no for an answer. "We have some time until our train arrives and I'm tired of sitting around almost falling asleep."

"So, what, now I have to be your puppet and entertain you with a Pokémon battle?" yawned Sam as he stretched himself out.

"Yes," smiled Alyssandra drawing a Poké Ball, "In a manner of speaking."

Sam sighed. "Fine, as you wish. But I'm not going easy on you."

Sam drew a Poké Ball and stretched one last time, popping his neck as he did. "Very well. In that case, if you win…I'll give you something special. Go Cranidos!"

"Go, Roserade!" cried Alyssandra.

She knew even though her Pokémon held the type advantage Sam was clever. She also knew Sam had equipped his Cranidos to deal with Grass Type Pokémon by teaching it secret moves meant to confuse opponents.

She had to be careful of the Flamethrower and—

"Cranidos, Ice Beam while Lyss is distracted!" cried Sam.

Alyssandra cut back into reality and quickly commanded her Roselia to dodge—just barely.

A patch of ice hit the ground where Roselia stood, rendering it slippery and dangerous.

Sam didn't let up, calling on another Ice Beam.

Roselia dodged again, this beam missing and hitting the tree behind her. Several leaves fell and a Murkrow flew from the branches cawing loudly.

Jeremy and Niya shot up to watch the fight, woken from their brief slumbers by the noise.

"What the hell is going on?" cried Jeremy.

Niya yawned. "I'unno," she muttered, "Coast Guard?"

Jeremy looked at Niya in confusion before continuing. "Are they seriously battling?"

Niya shrugged again, rubbing sleep from her eyes.

Alyssandra gritted her teeth and decided to start going on the offensive. "Roselia, use Magical Leaf!"

Roselia lowered her flowery hands and shot glowing black leaves at Cranidos.

Sam merely swatted them aside with a carefully timed Flamethrower—burning the leaves to a crisp before they even got close.

Alyssandra called for another Magical Leaf. "Roselia! Magical Leaf, and don't stop until you get through!"

"You should know better than that. Brute force doesn't work against a Cranidos," smiled Sam, "Cranidos, let's show off a bit! Hit those leaves with an Ice Beam!"

Cranidos, with practice, had perfected his Ice Beam to go from long, drawn out attacks to short bursts of ice energy.

Cranidos shot as many of the leaves as he could and let them fall into the grass as icy chunks. What she couldn't hit, Cranidos dodged magnificently.

Niya smiled, more awake now than she was before. "Sam wouldn't make a half bad Coordinator," she smirked, "The way he's turning his opponent's attacks against them. Lyss just keeps going at it and Sam keeps shutting her down like it's an art form."

"Lyss is tired," shrugged Jeremy, "She's usually better than this."

Niya nodded in agreement.

Sam focused on Roselia and tried to go in for the kill. Roselia was looking tired out from the Magical Leaf, and now was the time to strike. "Cranidos, while she's tired, go in for a Zen Headbutt!"

"That's new!" cried Jeremy.

Niya smirked. "Spent hours helping him work on that the other day. Glad he's finally using it."

Alyssandra closed her eyes. Breathed in, and out, and then opened her eyes, hoping to counter attack. "Roselia, Mega Drain on Cranidos! Suck its health dry!"

Roselia fired a beam of green energy at Cranidos, hoping to hit the Pokémon.

Sam gritted his teeth and made the tough choice to get Cranidos to tough through.

"Tough it out Cranidos! Charge, double speed!" cried Sam.

It was a dangerous gamble, and he knew that Niya would yell at him for it later…especially if this didn't work out. He needed this to pay off for a lot of reasons.

Cranidos cried out and charged towards Roselia without stopping. Cranidos maintained the Zen Headbutt. At first, it kept going, top speed, but eventually it slowed down.

The more Cranidos charged, the slower it got.

Roselia regained its strength in the meantime, feeding off the energy it sapped off of Cranidos.

Just as Cranidos looked ready to collapse, Roselia ceased its attack.

Alyssandra smiled. "It's over," she smiled, as Cranidos fell over, just inches from Roselia.

Roselia waddled over to check on Cranidos.

Meanwhile, Sam gritted his teeth. He sighed, smiled, and cried out to his Pokémon. "Cranidos, Flamethrower! Follow that up with an Ice Beam and finish up Roselia with a Zen Headbutt for good measure!"

Roselia cried out in surprise as Cranidos's eyes shot open. A blast of flame erupted from her steely jaw, engulfing Roserade and knocked her back.

The Ice Beam caught Roselia while she was down for the count and froze her solid.

Cranidos stood up, cried out, and charged towards the frozen Roselia.

All Alyssandra could do was watch as Cranidos bulldozed Roselia. The ice encasing the Pokémon shattered, and Roselia was sent flying across the grass field.

The small Pokémon rolled, bounced, and finally skidded to a halt as Alyssandra ran towards Roselia, cradling her in her arms.

Roselia was conscious, but weak, and exhausted.

Alyssandra returned to Sam's side, Roselia in her arms. She sighed. "I thought I had this," she said.

"You almost did," answered Sam, "I learned something from Luxray Girl. Make your opponent overestimate their strength and underestimate theirs. Then you when their guard is down, and they're exhausted, crush them. If you hadn't fallen for the ruse, where I made Cranidos look weaker than it was, and had kept up the Mega Drain, you would've won. But I knew you weren't that cruel."

Alyssandra shot Sam a sideways glance. She was both concerned and in awe at how much Sam had learned so fast.

Sam reached into his bag, still smiling, and pulled out a small, crème coloured gemstone.

Alyssandra took it from Sam with confusion.

"I promised you a reward," smiled Sam.

"Yeah, if I won!" protested Alyssandra.

"Yeah well, technicalities," smirked Sam.

Alyssandra smiled and took the stone from Sam. "What is it?"

Sam smiled. "A Shiny Stone. I bought it a few days back. You can use it to evolve certain Pokémon. Ironically, Roselia can be turned into Roserade using a Shiny Stone."

"Why?" asked Alyssandra.

"I'm afraid I don't understand the question."

Alyssandra frowned at Sam. "Why'd you buy it?"

Sam shrugged. "Caught my eye."

Alyssandra shot Sam a stern look.

"Fine, fine," he laughed, "You kept talking about how much you wanted to evolve Roselia, and how you wanted to get her stronger. I know that's why you used Roselia today in the fight. But I also know you couldn't afford the Shiny Stone so…I don't know, I got it as an early birthday present."

Alyssandra smiled, reaching up on the tips of her toes, and kissing Sam on the cheek. "You, sir, are a scholar and a gentleman. And one of the best people I know."

Sam blushed and looked away, rubbing the back of his neck bashfully.

Alyssandra didn't hesitate, and immediately pressed the Shiny Stone into her Roselia's hands.

Within seconds the Pokémon had evolved into a Roserade. The Pokémon had some of its energy back but was still incredibly tired.

Alyssandra thanked her Pokémon as she returned it to its Poké Ball to rest.

"So, what time—" Sam was cut off as Cranidos cried out behind him.

Sam turned around—he had already checked on the Pokémon before seeing Alyssandra—and saw that Cranidos began to glow with the light of evolution.

Several seconds later the light dissipated, and a mighty Rampardos stood there Cranidos once did.

"Damn," whistled Jeremy in amazement, "Double evolution. And that battle, jeez."

"They're both good," nodded Niya, "Sam's got a bit more refinement in his battle style, but that's no surprise considering he battles more often. Still, they've got talent."

Jeremy nodded.

"Hey, you two!" cried Sam, putting Rampardos's Poké Ball back on his belt, the Pokémon safe inside, "Quit lurking and come over here!"

"Why?" called Niya, standing up and stretching out the creaks in her joints.

"That battle made me hungry, I think it's time we had a snack," called Sam.

"We literally just had dinner an hour ago!" cried Jeremy, not able to comprehend where Sam put all the food he ate.

Sam shrugged. "So?"

"Seriously, where does he put it all!" lamented Jeremy as he carefully placed a napping Pikachu in Alyssandra's shoulder bag, bringing both the Pokémon and the bag over to her.


	57. 55 - Route 212, The Pokemon Mansion

~ Chapter 55 ~

Route 212, The Pokémon Mansion

" _Part of being in the family business means running deliveries for my uncles sometimes. When I was working on the ranches in the summer it was usually just a trip over to the next town—or a quick day trip a few towns over using the train. But, now that I was travelling around the Sinnoh Region, my job was to deliver Pokémon to other locales and places where my uncles couldn't get to as quickly. This time it was delivering a batch of 'Baby Pokémon' to a man named Mr. Backlot at his mansion on Route 212. Just south of Hearthome City, and north of the rainy, swampy marshes of Southern Sinnoh, Mr. Backlot was known for two things—his beautiful gardens filled with Pokémon sold by the Accardi Sinnoh Ranch, and his generosity at allowing travellers and Trainers to catch these otherwise rare Pokémon for themselves if they could prove their kindness to him."_

The radio hummed and whirred as Alyssandra tried to tune it in to some music. She was thoroughly surprised however when a warning beep blared through the speakers.

It was the sound of an emergency update from the Pokémon League—everyone in Sinnoh knew it.

" _This is the Sinnoh Emergency Broadcast System. This is not a drill. Please stay tuned for further information. This is_ not _a drill._ "

The Sinnoh Emergency Broadcast System, or SEBS for short, was the sole property of the Pokémon League, and was usually followed by a live speech, or broadcast, from the Champion. That meant Valentina was going to be on the air soon, talking about something important.

" _Hello my fellow Sinnohans. I am Champion Valentina, as some of you may know. Sadly…I come before you today, not with good news, but with a warning."_

Sam and Alyssandra looked at each other as Sam took a corner, hands firmly on the wheel.

" _Unfortunately, it seems the Black Claw Gang has made its way to Sinnoh. These infamous group of criminals and Pokémon Poachers, who have the audacity to call themselves 'businessmen', think they can come to our Region and do what they please with our people, and our Pokémon."_

There was a pause for effect.

" _I am here to warn them, if they are listening, that they are sorely wrong. We will not back down—we will not let you harm the Pokémon of this region. We will stop you, even if we have to fight to the bitter end!"_

Cheers from the live crowd that Valentina was likely addressing.

" _We will find where you are hiding, and we will fight you wherever you may appear. We will push you from our island, and we will never surrender!"_

More cheering followed, louder and longer this time.

" _Too long have you abused Pokémon for profit. Other regions have tried to stop you and bring you down—with no results. But I warn you, Black Claw Gang, the people of Sinnoh are hardened and tough. We will be the ones to crush you!"_

Valentina paused again.

" _I am pleased to announce to you all today, that we have started up an official taskforce. The Anti-Black Claw Coalition, consisting of members of Interpol, and the Sinnoh Police Department, as well as the Sinnoh League, and is funded by the Accardi Pokémon Ranch in Sinnoh, and the Pokémon League. Myself, alongside our former Champion, Cynthia, and Luciano Accardi himself, will head this Coalition. Our hope, is that with time, we can add the ranks of other regions to our Coalition of justice, and together we can end the Black Claw threat once and for all!"_

The people cheered again.

" _In the meantime, there is something you all can do as people of Sinnoh, to assist in our fight against the Black Claw Gang. The Pokémon League will be offering cash rewards to any and all people who bring forward substantial information about the Black Claw Gang, their whereabouts, or activities. Any information that leads to arrests will be given double the reward. You can report suspicious activities to your local Police Force, or to your local Gym Leader."_

" _In the meantime, I promise to all of you that we will not rest until the Black Claw Gang has been eradicated from Sinnoh—and then, after Sinnoh, the world! We won't stop until every single one of them is in prison and has ceased operations."_

The people cheered, and Sam shut off the radio. He couldn't hear anymore. Valentina's warning had become a legitimate declaration of war against the Black Claw Gang. A war funded by his family…and while it was a necessary war, it still worried him—especially after his last run in with the gang.

"This has gotten serious," said Alyssandra suddenly, "If Valentina's gone and done this. She's never been one for extremes, but she's really on the war path here."

"I don't blame her," warned Sam, "The Black Claw Gang is really the worst. You remember what they were like. I'm glad they're doing something about them."

Alyssandra nodded. "Yeah. I just hope everyone is careful. We don't need people getting hurt. The Black Claw Gang means business."

Sam agreed and halted the pick-up truck outside of the gates of the Backlot Mansion. The entire estate was walled off by an old stone wall—built generations ago. The Backlots were old money—like the MacAbres. And yet they were one of the biggest customers to the Accardi Sinnoh Ranch in the region.

They were one of the first big customers the Accardi Ranches had and continued to buy Pokémon exclusively from Sam's family to this day.

Sam was here today, on a special request from his uncle, dropping off a new shipment of Baby Pokémon to Mr. Backlot.

His uncle Lou had planned to come to Hearthome City to visit Fantina this week, but just before he left he received a rush order from Mr. Backlot, who needed more Baby Pokémon for his prize-winning garden.

When Sam met up with his uncle, Sam offered to take the shipment—and borrow the pick-up truck to do so—to Mr. Backlot, so that his uncle could enjoy his vacation without having to take a day away from it just to work.

Mr. Backlot was a unique customer. He never bought any Pokémon for himself. His Pokémon were for his prize-winning gardens. The Pokémon were there to provide companionship to the wild Bug Pokémon that came and pollenated the garden.

But they were also there to be caught, and offered as prizes, to Trainers that proved their pure heartedness to Mr. Backlot.

Any Trainer found worthy in Mr. Backlot's eyes was given the chance to catch Pokémon in his garden.

Baby Pokémon were rare, and Mr. Backlot's wealth, combined with his large amounts of Baby Pokémon made him a target for Pokémon Poachers and criminals.

Some of the Pokémon Sam was dropping off today was delivered from the other ranches—guard Pokémon; specifically, Stoutland, Granbull, Manectric, Arcanine and Houndour.

Alyssandra chose to come with Sam on this trip—while Niya and Jeremy chose to remain behind in Hearthome City and wait for their friends to get back.

A guard approached the car—coming through a small door in the side of the wall that led to a gatehouse. "Who may I ask, is coming to see Mr. Backlot?"

"Sam Accardi, from the Accardi Sinnoh Ranch," stated Sam calmly, "This is my friend Alyssandra De Rossi, she is assisting me in dropping off an order of Pokémon for Mr. Backlot."

"Can I see some ID please?" asked the guard, looking between Sam and Alyssandra.

Sam handed over his Breeder's License, with his name and picture on it. The guard looked it over carefully, to ensure it wasn't counterfeit, and returned to it to Sam.

He walked around the back of the pick-up next and peaked into the bed. He saw several well-secured crates made of trays that resembled trays of eggs. But instead of eggs nestled inside the cradle of the metal trays, it was Poké Balls.

The guard nodded. "One second, please," stated the guard as he walked back over to his guardhouse and radioed up to the house.

Sam sat there silently while Alyssandra nervously watched the guard.

This was her first time doing a delivery for the ranch, obviously—but it wasn't Sam's first rodeo. Though it _was_ his first time making a delivery without one of his relatives there with him.

He tried not to let the nerves show.

A few minutes later the guard returned and smiled at Sam. "Welcome to the Backlot Estate, Mr. Accardi," he said, "The boss is up at the house waiting for you. And may I say, thank you for the new guard Pokémon—they're going to make our jobs a lot easier. Especially with the Black Claw Gang now in Sinnoh."

"You heard that on the radio too?" asked Alyssandra.

The guard nodded. "Yes, ma'am. I have my radio going inside the guardhouse at all times in case of emergencies like that."

"Good to know," smiled Alyssandra, worry gripping her.

"Thank you," waved Sam as he thanked the guard. He drove through the opening gate doors and drove up the pebble driveway as the gravel and stones crunched beneath the heavy truck.

They were up at the front door of the mansion within minutes. The whole way up Sam could see the beautiful topiaries of Pokémon, hedges, rosebushes, and flowers that made the Backlot Garden's world famous.

It was an explosion of colour and scent and wild Pokémon.

It was beautiful.

Sam and Alyssandra stepped from the truck as Sam put it into park.

Mr. Backlot rushed out to meet them. He put his hand out for Sam to shake. "You're here with the Accardi Ranch I hear?"

Sam shook the man's hand. Mr. Backlot's grip was firm, but not unkind. He was a burly man, but not tall. Stocky, with a beard and moustache and a cleanly laundered and pressed suit.

He smelled of expensive cologne and wore many bejewelled and shiny rings.

"I am, Mr. Backlot, sir," nodded Sam, "Sam Accardi. You probably spoke with my uncle originally, Lou?"

Mr. Backlot nodded as he walked over to the back of the van. "That I did. He explained to me you were coming by in this place. He got held up in a meeting back in Hearthome."

Sam nodded, not bothering to explain the truth.

Mr. Backlot introduced himself to Alyssandra, and then rubbed his hands together as he examined the trays of Poké Balls sitting in the bed of the pickup.

They were neatly packaged and wrapped, and tightly bound by cord and straps and sat perfectly on a pallet.

"I'll send someone out in a minute to retrieve the Pokémon," smiled Mr. Backlot, "Thank you very much for bringing these over. Considering the Pokémon, I keep in my back garden, I'd feel safer having some guard Pokémon around. Especially with the Black Claw Gang around."

Sam nodded. "Completely understandable. They're not to be trifled with."

"Ah, but where are my manners!" cried Mr. Backlot, "Come inside while you wait for that to be unloaded. Besides, there's still the matter of my payment."

Sam looked to Alyssandra who nodded enthusiastically.

The two of them followed Mr. Backlot into his mansion.

The usual fixtures of wealth greeted them; marble floors, long staircases, satin rugs, and expensive artwork on the walls. Vases and flowers and urns and decoration. Crystal chandelier. Giant mirrors.

Sam had explained to Alyssandra that the Backlots had made their money off of ore mining in the region. They held, at one time, the largest stake in the Oreburgh Mines and all metal production in Sinnoh.

Oreburgh Mines, Fuego Ironworks, and the shipping yard in Snowpoint were all theirs once.

But the family had sold off their interests long ago.

Now they made money through smart investments in the right companies and business.

This left Mr. Backlot more time to pursue his true passion—his garden and Pokémon.

Sam and Alyssandra were led through the narrow, white halls of the Backlot Mansion, until they finally reached a large library with a desk in the centre just at the end of a hall in the west side of the mansion.

Once inside the library, Sam could wall to ceiling bookshelves, ladders, a coffee table with two couches in the middle, and a large oak desk with a leather-backed chair near the far wall.

That far wall was actually a window, upon closer inspection; a massive window that looked out into the beautiful gardens behind the property.

Mr. Backlot sat down opposite Sam and Alyssandra by the coffee table on the left, blue couch.

"Can I get you two anything? Tea, coffee, water?" asked Mr. Backlot politely.

The two teens shook their heads.

Mr. Backlot nodded and returned to the business at hand. He pulled something out of his breast pocket—a chequebook—and continued his conversation with Sam from earlier.

"We had three break-in attempts in the past two weeks," explained Mr. Backlot, "Each time the attempts were not to get into the home, but to break into the gardens outback. Nobody was ever apprehended, but I've doubled my security detail on the gardens since."

"That must be scary," nodded Alyssandra, remembered her capture at the hands of the Black Claw Gang, "Do you think they're related to the Black Claw Gang?"

Mr. Backlot shrugged. "I don't know," he admitted, "No evidence ever suggested that from what my security found. We've had break-in attempts before. Usually they're trying to break into the mansion though—but even the attempts on the garden have been infrequent. All of a sudden we have three in two weeks?"

Mr. Backlot paused for a moment while he scribbled something on the cheque.

"I don't want to even imagine one of those precious Baby Pokémon ending up in the hands of scum like the Black Claw Gang," he grumbled as he kept scrawling, "They'd use them for profit, breeding, or experiments—and who knows what else."

"The Black Claw aren't friends of my family either," agreed Sam politely, "My family has gone so far as to help fund Valentina's task force. The Black Claw have been trying to steal from my family for generations. They were the reason we started training the Pokémon at the ranch."

Mr. Backlot nodded. "Oh, I remember," he smiled, "My gramps used to tell me the stories—sometimes I'd go with him. He'd go by to pick up his Pokémon and see the place near trashed. He helped pay for their first security system."

"Money well spent," smiled Sam.

Mr. Backlot laughed. "Oh, I'd say," he agreed, "It's because you guys stayed in business that I'm able to keep my going at my hobby. I garden for the Pokémon, and eventually they find homes with good trainings who appreciate good gardens."

Mr. Backlot finished with the cheque and handed it to Sam. His eyes flashed quickly over the numbers before he slipped it into the inner breast pocket of his jacket.

Sam was glad Alyssandra didn't get a look at how many zeros were on that cheque—she might've fainted.

"Thank you for your continued patronage, Mr. Backlot," thanked Sam gratefully, "Your family's business over the years have kept us running."

"A mutually beneficial relationship, then!" toasted Mr. Backlot without a drink. He chuckled to himself and then looked Sam over seriously.

"You're not working with the Ranch full time are you, Sam?" asked Mr. Backlot.

He was sharp.

"No, I'm not," Sam admitted, "I'm actually out on my Pokémon Journey right now with my friends. The rest of them are waiting for us back in Hearthome while Alyssandra and I made this pit stop. We were coming this way anyway, so we figured we'd help my uncle out. But I did work on the Ranches in the summers until recently."

"When you started travelling," finished Mr. Backlot with a careful nod, "Well, I think that's grand! All the skills of a Pokémon Breeder, with all the practical applications of a Pokémon Trainer who's gone out and experienced the world. Nothing like travelling to open one's eyes to the possibilities."

"What do you mean?" asked Alyssandra, finally gathering the courage to speak. Her words came out a touch louder than she intended and echoed through the giant room.

"I remember when I was young and travelling the world," explained Mr. Backlot, "I learned a lot about people, Pokémon, and most importantly, myself. I grew so much the years I was travelling."

"I feel the same way!" exclaimed Alyssandra, her eyes lighting up, "These past few months I feel like I have grown and changed more as a person than I ever had in my sixteen years in Twinleaf Town."

"You'll often find that is the case with life," smiled Mr. Backlot.

Alyssandra and Mr. Backlot continued to talk while Sam watched Alyssandra happier than he had seen her in days. She was happy—cheery even, sure—but not like this.

Not passionate and fired up about something she felt inside.

It was amazing to see.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

A maid entered shortly after, ushered in by Mr. Backlot's voice. "Excuse me, sir," she started calmly, "But the shipment has been unloaded and brought to the back garden."

"That'll be your cue to leave them," frowned Mr. Backlot, who was enjoying the conversation, "I'd love to have you over for dinner—but you have an adventure to get back to, and I like to be there for the Pokémon when we release them into the garden."

Sam nodded and stood up. "Next time we're in the area, we'll stop by and have dinner with our friends. How does that sound?"

Mr. Backlot smiled. "That's a splendid idea," he laughed.

Alyssandra shook Mr. Backlot's hand and said goodbye. However, before the two could leave, Mr. Backlot called out.

"Before you go!" he cried, reaching into his desk, "I want to give something to you, Alyssandra."

Alyssandra blushed and look at Sam for an idea of what to do. Sam simply shrugged.

Mr. Backlot approached Alyssandra and handed her a Poké Ball. "Inside is a Pokémon that takes time and experience to grow and evolve," explained Mr. Backlot, "A Riolu. Though not technically a Baby Pokémon, it was one gifted to me recently by a fellow from Iron Island. They're known for raising Riolu and Lucario and can supposedly use Aura powers like the Pokémon they raise."

Sam eyed the Poké Ball with interest. Lucario had always held an air of mystery and awe for him. A Pokémon he had always wanted to befriend. He would need to stop by Iron Island on his travels and try to catch a Lucario.

"You be careful now though," warned Mr. Backlot, "The Black Claw Gang is out there, and you're an Accardi. I wouldn't be surprised if they try to use you as leverage to rob the ranches."

If only Mr. Backlot knew.

Alyssandra thanked Mr. Backlot, before her and Sam were walked back to the truck outside the mansion.

The two entered the truck and Sam turned the engine over.

"Mr. Backlot only gives Pokémon to Trainers he sees as worthy," smiled Sam, "He must have really liked you. He must know you were a good person."

"I don't even know what I did," shrugged Alyssandra as she placed the Poké Ball into her bag.

"You helped him remember a time when he was happy," smiled Sam, "Probably some really good memories from his travels."

Alyssandra smiled.

There was silence.

Then, Alyssandra leaned over and kissed Sam on the cheek before turning the radio back on, opening up the window and staring out as the wind blew her hair.

Sam's face turned beat red and he looked out his own window.

Nothing else was said the rest of the trip.

Nothing else needed to be said—mostly because Sam was sure if he spoke he'd vomit out his heart.


	58. 56 - Pastoria City, City of Marshes

~ Chapter 56 ~

Pastoria City, City of Marshes

" _Pastoria City was easily not my favourite stop on my travels through the Sinnoh Region. It was always wet, always cold, always muddy. If it wasn't raining, it always looked it was about to, or had just stopped. This was to be expected of course. Pastoria City sat right in the South-East corner of Sinnoh, right next to Route 212. Whatever parts of Route 212 weren't drowned in rainwater, were choked in a muddy, boggy, swamp. Thick mud, deep water, peat bogs, and a lot of humidity were commonplace in the area. Pastoria City had managed to combat the heat with the gentle sea breeze that blew from the south by the rocky beach. And they had contained the swamp into a massive conservation area known as the Great Marsh. It was Sinnoh's version of the Safari Zone—a very limited, swampy Safari Zone. But that's another story for another chapter…"_

Sam, Alyssandra, Jeremy, Pikachu and Niya exited the Gym, Sam's excitement clear on his face. He hadn't even won the badge yet. He had just put his name down to battle Crasher Wake when he returned from a recent trip to Snowpoint.

He would be the first person to take on Crasher Wake for the Fen Badge this week.

In the meantime, Sam had two days to train and brush up on his skill before he took down the Gym Leader.

Sam knew he'd probably be using his Luxray. Being an Electric Pokémon gave Luxray a massive advantage against Water Type Pokémon like Wake would use. Sam also got a good look at the arena, and saw it was a massive swimming pool with places for land-based Pokémon to stand and fight.

Sam had a feeling Wake's Pokémon would be utilizing the water _and_ land in order to both confuse his opponent's, and also keep Wake's Pokémon in their element where they could move to their fullest extent.

If things got muddy, Sam could swap to Empoleon to bring the fight right to Wake in the water. Empoleon's slick, steel body could cut through water and ice like a hot knife cut through butter.

Other than that, though, Garchomp was not a good pick. He was Dragon/Ground…he could swim through land but not water. Any Water Pokémon with an Ice Type move would do double the damage against Garchomp, as if the water wasn't bad enough.

Cranidos might be able to utilize her Ice Beam in a way to level the playing field—literally…but that was also risky. Too risk for Sam's liking.

The other option was using Staravia, but he wouldn't be able to dive into the water after his opponent's like Empoleon or hit them from after like Luxray.

Sam would think of something, of this he was sure.

Either way he was going to deal with Crasher Wake and win that Fen Badge.

Nothing was stopping him—not since defeating Maylene brought back his confidence as a Trainer.

The group walked cobbled street towards a bubble tea shop.

It was warm, the middle of summer, and even with the ocean breeze; the humidity of the marshes kept wafting into the city.

Pastoria City had a quaint, small town charm to it. The buildings were massive like in Veilstone or Hearthome or Jubilife. The architecture was old, refined, but well maintained. The buildings were made in the old, wattle-and-daub style siding between post and beam and painted white and black respectively.

The group sat down at the table, as Pikachu sprawled himself out in Niya's lap, basking in the sun. She spoke his name happily as Niya rubbed his belly and the group ordered—even Pikachu got himself a small cup of bubble tea.

Jeremy dabbed at his forehead with a cloth. "This heat is ridiculous," he sighed, "I miss Twinleaf in the summer. It was hot, but you could always trust a nice breeze from Lake Verity. And when that failed you could always go swimming to cool off."

"You're welcome to throw yourself into the sea by the beach," laughed Niya, pointing in a southerly direction towards the rocky beach.

"Don't tempt me," huffed Jeremy, "I might."

"If you go, bring me with you," sighed Alyssandra as she downed the complementary water, wiping sweat from her forehead.

"So, we've got two days until I have to fight Crasher Wake," explained Sam, trying to progress the conversation, "That means we have two days to take in the sights of Pastoria City. Niya you've travelled Sinnoh before, what is there to do here?"

Niya snorted. "Nothing."

"No seriously," frowned Sam.

Niya just smirked. "I'm being serious," she insisted, "There are only three reasons people come to Pastoria City."

The waitress arrived with the bubble tea, passing one out to each of the teens, including Pikachu, who sat on Niya's lap and happily sipped his cool drink.

"Pikaaa!" cried the small yellow Pokémon as the cold liquid dripped down his throat.

"What reasons are those?" asked Sam as he sipped his drink.

"To challenge Crasher Wake for the Fen Badge, or to see the Great Marsh and catch Pokémon," explained Niya.

She took a deep sip of her drink, enjoying the cool, refreshing taste on this hot afternoon.

"And what's the third reason?" wondered Lyss.

Niya smirked again. "You're passing through on the way to the Valor Lakeside Resort. It's got everything you need. Homes and cottages for rent, pools, a restaurant, entertainment, a white sand beach on Route 213 and a lakeside beach on Lake Valour."

"Why didn't we go there instead? Is there a gym in this resort?" asked Jeremy chewing on some boba.

"There's no gym," smiled Niya, "But it's a popular vacation spot for families and couples. It's supposed to be super romantic. My family went there one summer when I was young."

Everyone looked over at Sam who was intently listening to Niya while he drank. He jumped as he noticed the sudden attention on him. "What?"

More silence.

Alyssandra smiled.

Jeremy looked like he was plotting something.

Niya merely rolled her eyes.

"Okay fine, we'll stay there after we're done here in Pastoria. We've earned a break, I think…besides, it does sound really nice," sighed Sam, admitting defeat.

Alyssandra and Pikachu cheered, and Jeremy smiled happily as he continued to drink his drink.

Niya smiled smugly, eyes closed as she sipped her bubble tea. "Some days it's nice to have rich friends," she joked.

Sam shot a boba at her through his straw, causing her to retaliate.

The group laughed before returning to their silent sipping and chewing. The sun was directly overhead, and the umbrella provided little to no shade for them at this time of day.

"We should get inside soon before we pass out from heatstroke," mentioned Alyssandra, "And we still need to check in at the Pokémon Centre."

"We still haven't decided what we're doing for the next two days though," added Jeremy, "Sam's got his gym battle in the afternoon two days from now. But what about tomorrow?"

Sam smiled. "Why not a little catching contest?" he asked, "We haven't done one of those in a while. People come to the Great Marsh to catch all kinds of Pokémon anyway, right?"

Alyssandra smiled. "I'm down. I won the last contest, time to win this one too."

Niya smirked. "It's a shame I'm not catching more Pokémon, or I'd love to beat you guys. I'll come for the fun of watching Lyss win."

"That's if she can beat me," laughed Jeremy, "And I'm not letting Lyss get by on a technicality this time! I'll catch so many Pokémon, it doesn't matter if you catch any last minute, and you'll never be able to catch up."

"Easy there, Jerry," sighed Niya, "The heat's getting to you."

Jeremy sighed. "It really is. I demand we go find a pool, or a Pokémon Centre with some way to soak in cold water."

"Of course, princess," chided Alyssandra sarcastically, "We'll make sure to bring you a cold drink with a slice of lemon, light ice for you."

Jeremy scowled at Lyss while everyone doubled over laughing, even Pikachu, who proceeded to snort bubble tea out his nose.

"Come on," sighed Sam leaving a small pile of coins and cash on the table to cover their bill, "Let's get Princess Jeremy here to his cool bath—because Princess Sam's feeling a bit hot and sweaty himself and is going to take one as well."

"Agreed," admitted Alyssandra, "Jeremy's not wrong about the cool bath. Besides, I want to be refreshed when I beat you guys at the catching contest tomorrow."

"As if," retorted Jeremy quickly, placing Pikachu on his shoulder, "But I guess we'll see tomorrow."


	59. 57 - Catching Contest Two

~ Chapter 57 ~

Catching Contest Number Two, the Great Marsh

" _The Great Marsh has always been a sore spot for us ever since we left Pastoria City. For reasons you will soon find out, something happened at the Great Marsh that we feel we could have prevented had we been more vigilant and alert. Because of us, countless people and Pokémon suffered…well, I feel that way anyway. Everyone says I'm taking this too harshly, but to this day, I feel I can never do enough for Pastoria City and the Great Marsh. But that's not what this chapter is about. No, it's about the second Catching Contest we had. This time, the stakes weren't so big. Who won? You'll just have to read to find out."_

The group stood before the entrance to Pastoria's Great Marsh. It was a large brick building with several floors. It was the most modern looking building in the area. The top floors were research labs apparently, where Pokémon Scientists and Professors studied the Pokémon that lived naturally within the Great Marsh, as well as the Pokémon that the marsh seemed to attract.

The bottom floor resembled a train station, where two massive, passenger trains—built to run on tracks built on the soft, muddy ground of the marsh—brought passengers to the different zones of the marsh.

The massive trains betrayed their size. They were silent, and they were eco-friendly, being mainly electric and solar powered. No fuel or coal required. It helped protect the marsh, and also meant they were near silent so that they did not disturb the Pokémon living in the natural eco-system.

Pastoria City was very protective, and very cautious with its Great Marsh—as was the Sinnoh League who regulated it in conjunction with Pastoria City.

For their trek through the marsh the group came prepared. They had Poké Balls, natural bug spray, wide brimmed hats to keep out the sun—these hats had mosquito net veils to keep bugs away from the face. They had neoprene overalls for wading in deep waters, thick neoprene boots to keep the water out and the mud off their feet, and rubber ponchos for keeping their arms free and moveable, without exposing too much skin to the elements.

They carried their supplies in small waterproof bags slung across their shoulder. Each of them had their Poké Ball Belts on them to battle the wild Pokémon of the marsh.

Jeremy kept Pikachu on his shoulder—and even Pikachu wore thick boots to prevent himself from getting stuck in the mud.

"Do you all have your train passes?" asked Sam as the group walked up the stone steps into the building.

Before anyone could respond they bumped into a large figure.

The figure wore a long, black coat, a fedora, and heavily tinted sunglasses. A scarf was wrapped around his face, so you couldn't see anything below his eyes—which were hidden by the glasses anyway. He walked quickly, looked jump, and had his hands tucked in his pockets.

Two smaller figures followed behind him, dressed similarly.

"Excuse me," said Sam carefully, trying to be kind, "Guess I didn't see you there. You all right?"

The man said nothing. He nodded and kept walking—faster than he had before. His two followers kept up with the breakneck walking pace as they disappeared down the street.

Sam could've sworn he saw a flash of red hair as the figure—obviously a man—charged off down the street.

"That was weird…" said Niya warily, "You okay, Sam?"

Sam nodded. His eyes narrowed as he stared off the figure. His gut sank.

"Sam?" asked Alyssandra, "Are you okay?"

Sam nodded again. "Yeah I'm fine."

"What's wrong?" asked Jeremy, "You seem focused on that man."

"He seemed…off to you, didn't he? Something didn't seem right," muttered Sam.

"A little yeah…what do you think it is?" wondered Niya, now following Sam's gaze to where the man had disappeared around a corner a few blocks away.

Sam sighed. "I don't know. Probably nothing," he shrugged—he lied through his teeth. His gut was screaming, as was his head, but he didn't have time to ruin the group's fun right now. He was probably just being paranoid.

"Come on," motioned Sam with his arm as he continued to walk up the steps, "Let's get going before we miss the train."

Niya and Alyssandra exchanged looks with each other and Jeremy. Even Pikachu questioned how quickly Sam brushed that off—but they really didn't have time to argue either. The next train was due to depart any moment now. They couldn't miss it, or it would seriously eat into their Pokémon catching time.

Within minutes the group had rushed towards the massive red train heading into the Great Marsh's depths.

The train stopped at regular intervals at each of the Great Marsh's "zones" and connected to other rails and routes that led to other zones to the east and west. The line the group was on went north and south only.

The group boarded quickly and sat themselves down on the cushioned bench seats, waiting for the train to arrive at each of their marked destinations. Jeremy was heading all the way north to Zone 12. Sam was going to Zone 6. Alyssandra was heading west to Zone 15, while Niya was going to hop off at Zone 1 and just explore the first section of the Great Marsh with her Pokémon, as she had no intention of catching anymore Pokémon on this trip.

Pikachu chose to go wherever Jeremy went, so he would likely be in Zone 12—if he didn't run off to go find someone else or change his mind about whose shoulder he wished to be perched on for the day.

The train was quick for something so massive, but slower than a normal train due to the Pokémon and the swampy terrain.

It was a good hour before everyone had departed on their own trains and separate ways towards the different Zones they were looking for.

But once they arrived, they began tracking.

Jeremy had been hot on the pursuit of a Buizel for an hour now. He had tracked it down a river as the Pokémon swam away from him.

He met the Pokémon near a small, swampy pond a few kilometres back.

His Luxray stood beside him, helping Jeremy track the Pokémon. Anyone else might've used Luxray's Electric attacks to shock the Buizel in the water—but Jeremy wasn't risking the other Pokémon in there.

He was going to try and track Buizel down, tire it out by chasing it, and hoping it would come out on land to fight—that was the plan anyway.

Jeremy just hoped it would work.

But, just as Jeremy started to doubt, the Buizel stopped and turned back towards Jeremy.

The Pokémon looked agitated. It didn't respect being followed…and a waterfall just a few feet down the river stopped Buizel from going any further by water.

It was do or die for Jeremy and the Buizel. It was time to fight.

The Buizel started it off by charging at Jeremy from the water with Aqua Jet.

Jeremy steeled himself and had Luxray loose a Discharge at the Buizel.

The Buizel took the hit and flew from the water onto the sand by the river. But it wasn't down for the count. With a growl, the Buizel charged after Luxray with Pursuit as the Pokémon stepped back towards Jeremy.

Jeremy managed to get Luxray out of the way in time, but Buizel wasn't giving up.

The Pokémon came back at Luxray quickly, using Swift to shoot glowing stars at Luxray.

This time, Jeremy wasn't able to get Luxray to dodge in time. Luxray took the hit, flew back, and skidded a bit on the ground.

Pikachu cried out to Luxray in concern.

Lucky for Jeremy, Luxray was able to get back up in seconds and continue to fight.

Jeremy commanded Luxray to use its Roar attack. The attack caught Buizel full force, sending the Pokémon back as Luxray's roar shook the nearby trees loose of Bird and Bug Pokémon.

Buizel became frozen with fear, unable to retreat back to a Poké Ball as it was free. But Jeremy could tell that the Buizel was trying to fight against the effects of Roar.

Jeremy smiled. It was gonna be close.

"Luxray, Thunder Fang!" he called, "Go after Buizel and latch on! Don't stop until it's down, but don't hurt it! We want to catch it, not kill it!"

Luxray's jaws sparked with electricity, and it ran at the frozen Buizel, and latched down on the Pokémon, sinking its teeth into the Pokémon's fur. Luxray let out a massive electric shock that vibrated to Buizel's body, but Buizel refused to fall.

This Pokémon was stubborn.

But so were Jeremy and Luxray.

Sam let out a deep breath as he looked at the two Poké Balls at his feet. His leg shook because he knew it wasn't going to be enough to guarantee his victory.

He was a little disappointed that he hadn't caught more. But luck wasn't with him today.

He wondered how many Pokémon Alyssandra and Jeremy had caught…something in Sam's gut said more.

"Well, we're here," smiled Alyssandra, her Piplup at her side.

The Pokémon was covered in mud, as was Alyssandra.

Jeremy came up behind her—the two must've caught the same southbound train to the Entrance Hall. He too was muddy, and so was Pikachu. Jeremy's Luxray silently stalked behind him, muddy, wet, but proud of itself.

"Where's Niya?" asked Jeremy, looking around, noticing she was missing.

Sam shrugged. "Probably out exploring Zone 1 still," replied Sam, "We can go look for her after. Let's get counting."

"Someone's antsy," smirked Alyssandra, "Confident? Or do you know you're going to lose?"

Sam didn't respond.

The group went over to a nearby bench and lined up their Poké Balls to display their catches.

Jeremy displayed a Net Ball, an Ultra Ball, and a Poké Ball. Three Pokémon.

Sam had two Ultra Balls. Two Pokémon.

Alyssandra had only a single Poké Ball. One Pokémon.

"Well," snorted Lyss, "The winner is clear. As are first and second place."

Sam sighed. "Yeah…dammit!"

Jeremy laughed, cheering alongside Pikachu and his Luxray. The competition was admittedly close, but there was no denying Jeremy had won it this time.

"It's too bad we didn't bet this time like we did last time," sighed Jeremy, "A high stakes gamble would've been nice to win."

"Niya probably would've killed us had we done that," added Alyssandra, "She didn't seem all too impressed with the bet we made last time—especially considering how bad you and Sam get when it comes to being competitive."

"We're not that bad!" cried the boys in unison.

Alyssandra giggled. "Whatever you say. So, what did you guys catch?"

"A Buizel and a Gastrodon," replied Sam.

"A Drapion, a Carnivine and a Buizel myself," smiled Jeremy proudly, "The Buizel was a tough one…I'm thinking I'm going to keep him on my main team. Catching him wasn't easy."

"How about you Lyss?" asked Jeremy, "What did you catch?"

"Just a Shellos," sighed Alyssandra, "Cute, but nothing spectacular. With some training though, might not be bad for a contest in the future. But for now, I have my six Sinnoh Pokémon."

Sam was about to reply when his Pokétch started to ring suddenly. He looked at Alyssandra and Jeremy who simply shrugged. They couldn't explain it either.

The call was from Niya.

Sam picked up as soon as he saw that. "Hello?"

"I…need your help," she sighed. Niya's voice was broadcast to the rest of the group, as it was by default on speaker.

"What's wrong?" asked Sam worried, "Are you hurt?"

Niya sighed loudly on the other end. "No…I'm…"

"You're?" pressed Sam.

"I'm stuck in the mud," Niya responded quickly, obviously embarrassed, "I've been stuck in the mud for three hours and I just worked up the courage to call someone for help. Can you please help me?"

Sam stifled a giggle. "We're on our way, Niya. Are you in Zone 1?"

Niya responded in the affirmative.

"Wait right there," smirked Sam, "We'll be there soon."

"Don't go anywhere!" cried Jeremy, holding back laughter.

Niya hung up immediately, clearly not appreciative of Jeremy's jokes.

"Come on, let's go save her you guys," sighed Alyssandra as Sam and Jeremy almost fell over laughing at the situation, "And no laughing when we get there. She's bound to kill you for what you've already done once she gets out as it is."

"Come on," replied Sam, "Don't be a stick in the mud."

Sam and Jeremy laughed, as did Pikachu. Even Luxray purred her contentment at the revelry.

"I'm serious," warned Alyssandra with concern, "I wouldn't do that when we get there. You better stop the puns."

The puns did not stop—even after they yanked Niya from the mud.

Alyssandra was, in fact, correct—she was not pleased with Sam and Jeremy.

Their day ended when two Pokémon Rangers came by and fished them out from the mud along with Pikachu and Luxray, while Alyssandra and Niya sat at the Pokémon Centre, enjoying a warm cup of tea, and laughing over having pushed the boys in to the bog.


	60. 58 - Pastoria City Gym, Crasher Wake

~ Chapter 58 ~

Pastoria City Gym, Crasher Wake

" _Crasher Wake was a hardened man. Hardened by years at sea, and years wrestling in the ring as a masked wrestler. No one ever saw his face—and anyone who ever had in his youth couldn't remember what it looked like. Many were convinced Crasher Wake didn't have a face, and he wore the mask as a permanent part of his skin, or that the mask covered disfigurements, and his real face had been ruined in a fight years ago. Some others even believed that Crasher Wake had sewn the mask to his face and promised to never rip it off until he had tasted defeat in the ring. Whatever the truth was, Crasher Wake wore a mask, and he was tough—those two are the only truths in the sea of fables."_

Sam and Wake squared off.

They had skipped the formalities before the battle. Crasher Wake didn't say much. He was quiet, cunning, and watched his opponents' every move.

He preferred to wait, and counter strike against whatever his enemy threw at him.

Sam figured he would battle the same way he fought in the ring.

Sam had only been at this Gym for five minutes—the battle had already started not too long ago—but things were taken slowly here.

Sam and Wake stared at each other.

Their Pokémon, Sam's Luxray and Wake's Gyarados, also stared at each other.

Gyarados, half submerged in the water like some massive sea dragon. While Luxray waited, perched atop the tiled pieces of dry land scattered across the Gym.

Then, suddenly, Crasher Wake called out. "Gyarados! Waterfall!"

Sam was not prepared for the torrent of water Gyarados sprayed as it charged towards Luxray. Waterfall was faster than Sam had expected—no doubt Crasher Wake had trained Gyarados to move faster than most Pokémon normally did.

But Sam wasn't backing down just yet.

"Luxray, stand your ground!" cried Sam, "Hold!"

Niya looked at Alyssandra. "What the hell is he thinking?"

Alyssandra shrugged. "That's a new one to me," replied Alyssandra, who had trained with Sam on their way into the city. "Whatever Sam's planning though, he's probably got an ace up his sleeve. He would never leave his Pokémon in danger like that."

Niya nodded. "Yeah, you're right I suppose. I just hope he knows what he's doing."

"Come on, this is Sam we're talking about," laughed Jeremy, "You should know better than that."

"I know…I just worry," sighed Niya, "If he beats Crasher Wake that means he's going to challenge my Aunt Fantina next. She's going to spend that entire battle scrutinizing not just Sam, but me, because I taught Sam. She's going to spend the whole battle nit-picking every little mistake I made while training him."

"You make it sound like _you'll_ be fighting Fantina," noted Alyssandra.

"In a way, I will be," replied Niya with a shrug.

Jeremy smirked. "You worry too much. Sam's not totally talentless, you know. Have some faith in him—and in yourself!"

Meanwhile, Sam had dealt with his Gyarados problem. As the giant Pokémon neared Luxray, Luxray jumped and landed on Gyarados's back, and latched its teeth down onto the Pokémon's spine.

Gyarados let out a roar as it rampaged across the stadium.

Sam merely had Luxray unleash a devastating Thunder Fang which instantly caused the Gyarados to howl and thrash louder.

"Shake it free, Gyarados!" cried Wake.

The Pokémon became enraged.

It swatted itself side-to-side, diving deep into the water, slamming itself against the walls of the giant pool.

Finally, Luxray let go, landing in the water.

"Gyarados! Don't let that Luxray go unpunished! Waterfall again!" cried Wake.

Sam smiled. Luxray was in the perfect position. Sam called for Luxray to unleash a massive discharge attack.

Being in the water aided the attack, as the water carried the electric current towards Gyarados.

Luxray unleashed a massive amount of electricity, shocking the entire stadium. The lights that hung from the ceiling swayed and flickered—some even burst—as the electric waves bounced around the place.

Niya, Jeremy and Alyssandra had to duck behind the concrete wall that separated the lowest set of seats from the arena. Water and electricity splashed over the sides, and the water landed on top of them.

Only Pikachu faced the onslaught of electricity unafraid.

When all was said and done, and the onslaught of Luxray's electricity finished, the three teens peaked from behind their hiding place and saw Gyarados, unconscious, floating in the water like a dead fish, with Luxray shaking itself off on top of the platform.

"Holy crap," cried Jeremy, "That…that's strong attack."

"How long was Sam having Luxray charge its electricity?" wondered Alyssandra, "He said something about charging it like a battery but…shit."

"Shit, indeed," smirked Niya, "What a clever tactic. All he had to do was overpower Gyarados by preparing to overpower it. Day by day, a little bit of electricity stored away in its tail…and Luxray could do that."

"Discharge is already a powerful move to begin with," noted Jeremy, "But that was ground shaking."

"Gyarados is unable to battle!" cried the now-soaked referee, "The winner of the first round is Sam Accardi, the challenger!"

Nobody cheered however.

This fight was far from over. This was going to be a battle of titans.

Crasher Wake smirked as he reached for his next Poké Ball. "No one's taken out Gyarados that quickly before." Wake laughed. "I can see why you're a Champion hopeful. The whole League's been atwitter about you. It's been an honour to battle against your cunning mind and raw strength. Should've expected as much from an Accardi though, I s'ppose."

Wake recalled his Gyarados and reached for his next Pokémon. "I think you'll find this next Pokémon a bit of a perplexing puzzle for you. I don't usually bring him out so early but…I think it's time I played _my_ ace."

Wake tossed the Poké Ball into the air and unleashed his next Pokémon.

A Quagsire.

"Fuck," hissed Niya, "Wake used Gyarados to test Sam's strength…weaken his Luxray. Quagsire is out to finish it. Whittle down Sam's Pokémon."

"What do you mean?" asked Jeremy.

"Quagsire is one of the few Water Type Pokémon that Water Type Trainers use to trump people who try to use Electric attacks to breeze through their Pokémon," explained Niya, "Like Gastrodon, Palpitoad, Seismitoad, Barboach, Whiscash, Swampert, Marshtomp, or Wooper. Quagsire is a Water Type Pokémon, but it's also half Ground Type. Electric attacks don't affect it. They'll just bounce right off like nothing."

"Shit," added Jeremy as the realization came to him, "And Sam doesn't have any Grass Type Pokémon to cut through them."

"Exactly," finished Niya, "It's not an impossible obstacle to say the least…but it makes life a lot harder—especially when you don't have a Grass Type Pokémon to swap in."

"So, what's Sam going to do now?" asked Alyssandra, a little worried.

Niya looked at Sam, hopeful he'd think of something. "Get creative."

The look on Sam's face showed his friends that he had quickly come to the same realization that Niya had.

He sighed, bit his lip, and withdrew Luxray from the fight.

"Time to get creative, my boy," stated Aurelio, appearing out of nowhere.

"Where have you been?" wondered Sam, who hadn't seen Aurelio since his first battle with Maylene.

"Preoccupied," muttered Aurelio, not looking directly into Sam's eyes, "Things are…busy in the spirit world."

"Uh huh," replied Sam, not buying it for a minute.

"You seem to have yourself in a corner," added Aurelio, trying to change the subject, "You should do something about that."

"I'm trying," muttered Sam as he thought over which Pokémon to pull out next. He paused and thought long and hard. There was no easy choice. It was just a matter of the easiest of the hard choices to make.

"Fuck it," cried Sam, as he drew Staravia's Poké Ball, "Go, Staravia!"

Staravia burst from the Poké Ball, flying and ready to fight. He looked to be in his prime and eager to prove himself against Wake's Quagsire.

"Ballsy," commented Aurelio, as the Bird Pokémon circled above like a hawk searching for its prey, "They say hawks eat snakes. Quagsire is kind of like a newt, and that's close to a snake…sort of."

"That…that makes no sense," stated Sam bluntly.

Aurelio merely grunted in response and remained quiet, standing behind his grandson, invisible to the world, as Sam battled Wake's Quagsire.

Sam had an idea.

But before he could put it into action, Wake had taken the chance to strike.

"Quagsire! Rock Tomb! Take Staravia out of the sky!" cried Crasher Wake.

Quagsire responded as it focused itself and started pulling up massive rocks from the bottom of the pool of water.

That water was deeper than Sam originally thought, it seemed.

Rock Tomb had two methods of attack. The first is trapping your opponent inside of a mass of rocks. That required being able to hit the opponent.

An opponent like Staravia was too quick in the air to hit with multiple rocks. Quagsire instead played it safe and decided to use option two.

It formed a massive ball of rock with the stones it gathered and hurled it through the air at Staravia.

"Do you have a plan to deal with that?" asked Aurelio.

"Working on it!" cried Sam, "Staravia, use Steel Wing on the giant rock! Cut it to bits!"

Staravia cried in response, its wings glowing white, as he flew at top speeds towards the massive boulder.

Once more Sam's friends ducked behind the wall. Worried that the falling rocks and stones would hit them otherwise. This time, Pikachu didn't try to brave the attack.

Staravia circled around the massive boulder, cutting through the rock in several places. The rock started to break apart and crumble, but Sam and Staravia wasn't finished.

"Staravia, use your wings! As strong as you can go, blast those rocks back at Quagsire!" called Sam.

"That's quite a brave—and advanced—tactic there, my boy," added Aurelio, "I didn't even think of something like that at your age."

"I'm nothing if not brave," smirked Sam, muttering to his grandfather, "Let's just hope it works!"

Staravia was able to kick up some powerful gusts and blew the massive rocks back at Quagsire. Rocks fell off and clattered to the ground or splashed into the water as they fell towards Quagsire.

Not all of them would make it to Staravia's target, but as long as a few attacks hit, Staravia could still turn this battle around and gain the upper hand.

"You've become a master at counterattacking, my boy," chuckled Aurelio, "A good Trainer doesn't just attack—they can turn their opponent's moves against them."

As if mirroring Aurelio's thoughts, Niya peaked over the wall and watched in awe. "Sam would make a really good Coordinator if he wanted to," she noted.

Alyssandra nodded in agreement. "Can you imagine how many points the opponent would lose for having their moves turned on them like that?"

The rocks collapsed on and around Quagsire.

The dust settled, and all went silent on the field. Wake stared where his Pokémon was intently, hoping that his Pokémon was all right. He didn't cry out or panic—worrying would only throw off his Pokémon if it was still up and able to battle.

Quagsire did in fact tunnel its way out of the rubble. It was weak, it was tired, but it was still going to fight. It wasn't giving up.

Sam knew one more move would end it.

"Mud Shot, Quagsire!" cried Wake.

Quagsire obliged, not a single piece of doubt or refrain in its actions. Quagsire and Wake must have trained hard together…their ability to keep going at full strength said something for their conditioning.

"Dodge, Staravia!" cried Sam.

Sam was lucky Quagsire was tired and Staravia was faster than Quagsire's attack. The blasts of mud missed Staravia—but just barely. Sam needed to end this now.

"Aerial Ace, Staravia!" cried Sam, mimicking Crasher Wake's no back down, no giving up attitude, "This is going to be the move that ends it!"

Wake knew this.

Wake also knew he couldn't fight this.

Quagsire was only going to get hurt if he tried pushing the Pokémon farther.

He let Quagsire take the hit.

With a single nod and a knowing look, Pokémon and Trainer understood one another, and Quagsire allowed Staravia to hit it.

Quagsire flew off the platform it stood on and plummeted into the water.

A moment of silence…and Quagsire floated to the top of the water, unconscious.

Wake recalled his Pokémon with high regards and gratitude for all that Quagsire had done that day. The Pokémon fought hard, and even Sam realized that.

"Your Pokémon are hardy," called Sam to wake, "And fearlessly brave. You're a strong Trainer who raises strong Pokémon. I'm honoured to have a chance to fight you."

Wake let out a bellowing laugh, as expected of a man as large and muscle-bound as he. "I could say the same of you, boy," laughed Wake, "Your Pokémon are as brave as you are mad. I mean that in the best of ways. You claim to be a Trainer, fight like a Coordinator, and use Pokémon that most people wouldn't even dream of using in type match ups people wouldn't even consider. I heard from Gardenia you used an Empoleon in a Grass Type Gym, and Roark told me you used a Flying and Electric Type Pokémon in his Rock Type Gym. And then of course there was your Rock Type Pokémon in a Fighting Type Gym. You're crazy, boy! And I like that about you! This is the greatest, most intense battle I've had in years! What I wouldn't give to hop out onto the field and battle your Pokémon myself!"

Wake laughed again, his body shaking.

Sam smiled confidently at the compliment. "I'm glad my madness precedes me," he replied, "All the best people in this world are mad, after all."

"Aye. That they are," laughed Wake, "But I ain't done yet!"

Wake grabbed his last Poké Ball and unleashed his Floatzel into the water. There was no chill with this man.

Go big or go home.

Give it all, or nothing.

That was Crasher Wake.

Sam couldn't have asked for a better, more exhilarating opponent.

Sam recalled his Staravia, thanking it for doing so well, and called out his Empoleon to battle Floatzel.

This was it. Round three.

If Sam could beat this Floatzel, he would have his Fen Badge—and that meant he could go challenge Fantina.

There was no point giving up now, especially now that Crasher Wake refused to back down. Hell, the man seemed to be going harder the longer the battle went on—and the worse it got for him.

"All right Empoleon," called Sam, "Let's get this battle over with and get that badge!"

"Come get it if you can, kid!" cried Wake.

"Come on, my boy! You've got this! Don't let him get to you!" called Aurelio from behind his grandson.

Pikachu called out from the stands. "Pika-pi!"

Jeremy and Alyssandra cheered for Sam, whooping in support of their friend. Crying words of encouragement and success.

Niya, however, remained silent. She watched Sam with a proud smile.

Maybe he _was_ ready to battle her aunt. And if he could beat her…she would have nothing left to teach him. Sam would have surpassed her as a Trainer.

Even Niya hadn't overcome Fantina, to this day. As Coordinator or a Trainer.

"Empoleon! Get in the water and use Aqua Jet on Floatzel!" cried Sam.

No one questioned Sam using moves the same type as his opponent's Pokémon anymore. Sam knew what he was doing—he'd proven that time and again. His methods were unorthodox to say the least, but they always came through.

"Floatzel, Aqua Jet at Empoleon! Get in close and use Ice Fang!" cried Wake.

Sam cursed under his breath. Wake had stolen his tactic. Could the man read minds too?

Floatzel and Empoleon rushed at each other. Just before they were about to collide, Sam called out to his Pokémon. "Empoleon, spin yourself like a drill! Crash into Floatzel with all your strength!"

"An old tried and true method for Empoleon," smirked Niya, "I was wondering what happened to that tactic."

Empoleon's spinning metal body slammed into Floatzel, who was unable to dodge so quickly—the Pokémon moved fast, but it was too fast to dodge ever so slightly quickly.

Floatzel flew back, taking the full brunt of the steel-coated Pokémon's attack. But Sam didn't let up on the offensive. "Empoleon, Aqua Jet again! Close the gap between you and your opponent! Do not let him get distance!"

Crasher Wake didn't respond. Instead he let Floatzel remain in the water, calmly watching Empoleon rush towards him as he floated there seemingly helpless.

Then, as Sam's Empoleon neared Floatzel, too close to manoeuvre away, Crasher Wake pounced.

"Floatzel, Ice Fang! Clamp down on Empoleon and drag it under!" cried Wake.

He was going to exhaust, and possibly near-drown Empoleon. The Pokémon could breathe underwater; so being dragged under wouldn't kill or hurt it, but it would wind and strain the Pokémon, making it easier pray for the Floatzel.

Sam, however, was able to react quickly enough. "Metal Claw, Empoleon!"

Empoleon's steel-edged fins bashed Floatzel in the maw. It's icy-coated fangs shattered—or at least the ice that covered them—and the frosty fog dissipated quickly.

"Crunch, Floatzel!" cried Wake, "Don't let up!"

Crunch wouldn't be as easy to push aside as Ice Fang.

Sure enough, Floatzel got its fangs onto Empoleon. But Empoleon had acted without Sam—something it hadn't done in a while.

It had prepared a Metal Claw and hardened its fins against the attack. Floatzel had bitten down on hardened steel. And Empoleon went in for the counter attack.

"It's amazing," whistled Aurelio impressed, "I've seen it so many times, and I still can't get over how amazing it is to see a bond this strong in action."

Empoleon struck at Floatzel with a Metal Claw, then another, then another. Then hit it with a Peck.

Floatzel's jaw was locked down on Empoleon, and Empoleon was taking full advantage of that.

Empoleon continued to press the attack and didn't let up right until the end.

When Empoleon was done, Floatzel floated in the water like Quagsire before it; unconscious, and unresponsive to Wake's call.

Wake gritted his teeth as he recalled his Pokémon, thanking it for working hard. Wake had trusted his Pokémon…and unfortunately the gamble had failed him.

Sam knew how big of a gamble any battle could be, and he respected Crasher Wake for trying.

But Sam had won his Fen Badge.

The referee pronounced Sam as the winner, and his friends, Pikachu and his grandfather started cheering excessively at Sam's victory.

Even as Sam approached Crasher Wake, while the man laughed wildly as Sam took the Fen Badge from him, the victory didn't feel real. Things felt dreamy.

But not in a bad way, or a scary way; not in a way that he didn't believe it.

Sam felt the excitement in him. He felt his heart skip a beat.

And he knew, now he was ready to fight Fantina, and win.


	61. 59 - Explosion at the Great Marsh!

~ Chapter 59 ~

Explosion at the Great Marsh!

" _Just when we thought that Team Galactic had gone underground and decided to keep a low profile…they decided to test out their newest technology on innocent people and Pokémon. What they did in Pastoria City and the Great Marsh was only ever trumped by their final operation at Mount Coronet. They tested their newest weapons on innocent people and Pokémon in the Great Marsh…countless lives lost, untold damage to the natural ecosystem. It took six months to get the Great Marsh stabilized, and even longer for it to return to its previous health. And it was but a taste of what Team Galactic could and would do…"_

The group mounted their Rapidash and had taken off down the street from the Pokémon Centre at a light canter.

Sam couldn't help but smile as he and Grey Flame walked through the streets. There was something about riding atop the back of a Rapidash that was freeing and wonderful.

It was a sense of freedom that no one could take from him.

If it weren't for his friends, Sam would've been galloping out of town at full speed, tearing up clouds of dust as he went.

Grey Flame loved it too.

There was nothing better than racing back to the farm house after a day of work or charging around the ranch at top speed to let off steam when they had down time.

But nothing was peaceful about the sound that follow.

A massive explosion.

Dirt and clouds of rocks, water and debris raining from the sky.

A shockwave that knocked people and Pokémon over.

People screaming and panicking.

The ground rattled, and everyone was thrown from their Rapidash as the Pokémon panicked.

Only Grey Flame maintained any sense of decorum, but that didn't stop the Pokémon from nickering in panic.

Sam eased the Pokémon, his ears ringing, his head pounding.

What the fuck was going on?

"Are you all okay?" screamed Sam, unable to hear his own voice over the sound of chaos around him.

Even with all their training, these Rapidash couldn't help but panic in the face of an explosion like that.

Grey Flame only maintained his composure because of the bond between him and Sam.

Sam wheeled his Pokémon around, looking down at his friends.

Niya had hit her head and was unconscious, Alyssandra was dazed but was making sure Niya was okay.

Jeremy and Pikachu were helping her.

"What the fuck was that?" cried Jeremy, his ears ringing too.

Sam shrugged, and looked in the direction of the explosion. A few blocks away…past a mass of trees and greenery.

The Great Marsh?

Why?

How?

Then, they came wheeling around the corner.

A big black van raced by.

Sam couldn't see who was driving, but…if he wasn't mistaken…big, red headed, and bearded.

It couldn't be…

Sam then heard the sounds of sirens and tires screeching.

Three cop cars, Officer Jenny on a motorcycle, and leading them all, a big black car driven by Looker.

"Stop! This is Looker of the International Police! Pull your vehicle over and turn yourselves in!" he cried over the speakers mounted atop his car.

Sam watched as the back door of the van flew open, and there stood a Team Galactic grunt…with a rocket launcher.

Sam watched in horror as the rocket fired from the gun and flew towards the street where Team Galactic's pursuers were driving.

Another explosion, people screaming and running.

The street exploded, and the cars screeched out of the way. Crashing into each other, spilling over, and tumbling onto their sides.,

Officer Jenny was able to run her motorcycle aground on the sidewalk, out of the way of the car pileup, and the citizens running in terror.

Sam growled in anger.

Team Galactic…they were unforgiveable.

All those people and Pokémon in the Great Marsh…and the people in the streets here.

They were worse than Professor Rowan had ever warned.

With a snarl, Sam turned to Jeremy. "Leave Niya to Lyss…go check on Looker and the officers, they might need our help."

Jeremy nodded without question, mounting his Rapidash and taking Pikachu with him.

"Here!" cried Sam, "Take my Pokémon in case you need some extra muscle!"

Sam tossed his Poké Ball belt at Jeremy, who caught it as he charged off towards the car pileup.

Sam reached into a saddlebag and grabbed a rope. He left his bag by Lyss, leaving it in her hands before he began fiddling with the rope, tying knots, flipping ends over ends.

When he was done, he clicked his tongue twice against his cheek, and Grey Flame charged off down the street at full speed.

Sam readied his lasso, just like he had back when he was on the ranch.

It was just like wrangling a Tauros…maybe…kind of.

It didn't take Sam and Grey Flame long to catch up to the van. Sam could see the doors swinging open in the back, and the man with the rocket launcher returned.

Sam gritted his teeth, and Grey Flame snorted, ready to challenge the man and his rocket propelled explosives.

The man aimed and fired another rocket. Sam dug his heels into Grey Flame's sides, and the Pokémon jumped high into the air, soaring over the roaring flames, and raging explosions below.

The Pokémon snorted again as it landed.

Sam didn't stop though and spurred the Pokémon on faster and further.

The driver of the van weaved the car in and around other people, other cars, and obstacles, even pulling up on to the sidewalk at one point.

But Sam refused to let them go and only got faster, gaining on the truck at every attempt of theirs to lose him.

The Galactic Grunt aimed the rocket launcher at him again, but this time Sam was close enough.

He tossed his lasso, swinging it wildly above his head, and hooked it around the Galactic Grunt.

With a roar, Sam yanked on the ropes and tightened the lasso. With a second yank, he pulled the Galactic Grunt straight from the back of the truck, his rocket launcher clattering to the ground harmlessly.

Sam stopped his Rapidash as the grunt fell to the ground, restrained, and bruised.

Sam wasn't done with him.

"Where did you learn to do that?" smirked Aurelio, once more, as usual, coming out of nowhere.

"The ranches, in the summer," replied Sam, "Wrangling Tauros."

Aurelio nodded. "I seem to have picked the wrong profession, then. Too late now it seems."

Sam looked down at the Galactic Grunt, once more ignoring his suddenly disappearing grandfather.

He couldn't go after the rest of the truck, but with one of the grunts in captivity, and given over to the proper authorities, Sam could help Looker get to the bottom of the explosion, and who was behind it.

He would be one step closer to stopping Team Galactic.

Rage filling him for what happened to not only Niya, but those people and Pokémon in the Great Marsh.

Sam turned Grey Flame around and spurred him forward at the fastest gallop the Pokémon could muster.

He hung tight to the lasso still attached to the Galactic Grunt, and proceeded to gallop back towards the last place he had left his friends and the authorities.

It wasn't a long ride, but Sam ignored the cries of pain and protest from the Galactic Grunt he had dragged behind him.

Once he returned to the massive pile up and the scene of the first rocket explosion, Sam had returned to his friends, including Niya, as well as Looker and the local police charging up to him, demanding to know what happened.

"The van escaped," replied Sam, silencing everyone with a raised hand.

He dismounted Grey Flame and walked over to the bruised and bleeding Galactic Grunt.

"I've brought a souvenir, though," smirked Sam, handing the end of the lasso to Looker, "He was the one that fired the rocket at you guys. He's not their leader but…the information he has might be useful."

Looker assessed the damage grunt. He didn't say anything about the method Sam had used to return him to the police, but his approval wasn't needed now. "Thank you. We'll get him bandaged up a bit and have him interrogated."

"Let us know what you find. I'm curious to know what Team Galactic is planning," replied Sam.

Looker nodded. "You would be. You and your friends…perhaps your fate is tied with that of Team Galactic's."

"More like wrong place, wrong time," shrugged Sam, "Now it's just doing our civic duty. Team Galactic's actions affect everyone. How goes your investigation?"

Sam was deliberately vague with his descriptions around the Galactic Grunt. He didn't need to escape and warn his teammates of a pending sting operation on their headquarters.

Looker smirked. "Fruitful," he answered, "But, suspicious activity in Pastoria City had me temporarily relocated…now I know why."

Sam looked over to his friends, and grandfather's ghost standing beside them. Niya was better, with her head bandaged, and an ice bag on her head.

He and Grey Flame ran over to them to check on Niya. "Are you okay?"

Niya nodded, giving a small grunt. "Better than I should be really."

"Is it bad?" asked Sam.

Jeremy shook his head. "Like she said, could be worse. We're lucky it wasn't."

"I'm sorry the Rapidash— "

Niya cut Sam off. "What, were you supposed to train them to prepare for massive explosions?"

Sam sighed, smirking in response to Niya sarcasm. "Do you want to take some time to rest up?"

"She might have a concussion," warned Alyssandra.

"Well, there goes any choice you had in the matter," laughed Aurelio as Sam immediately demanded the group take a few days to recover and to allow Niya to rest.

"Besides," added Sam, forcing back any more of Niya's protests, "I want to hear what Looker gets out of that Galactic Grunt."

Jeremy and Alyssandra looked at each other with concern.

"Don't you think you're getting a little…irrational here?" asked Jeremy, his concerns made very clear with just a few words.

"Yeah I mean…dragging that guy all the way across the city? That's kind of harsh," added Alyssandra.

Sam grunted. "Asshole deserved it. All of Team Galactic does. The entire Great Marsh…all those people and Pokémon—and then that fucking rocket launcher," added Sam as he returned Grey Flame to his Poké Ball, "Niya's hurt too because of them."

Niya looked at her friends, concern on her face as well. Then she remembered something. "You saw something, didn't you? You know something that pissed you off, and now you're going to go on this ridiculous rampage until you confirm your suspicions or defeat something or someone."

"What do you mean?" asked Sam, ignoring Niya's advances into his psyche, "I think the concussion is getting to your head."

"I'm going to give you a concussion if you don't answer us honestly," hissed Niya, standing up, waving her finger in Sam's face, "Now spill."

Sam glared at her. He didn't like being backed into a corner like that. But she was right, and he was cornered. Nothing to do but give in—fighting would only make her bite down harder. Probably literally.

"I thought I saw Alexios driving the van," admitted Sam.

"At the speed they were driving I'm surprised you could see the van, let alone the driver," added Jeremy sarcastically.

"What makes you so sure?" asked Niya, her eyes narrowing with suspicion. She didn't doubt Sam, but she wanted proof.

"The driver was male," explained Sam, "Big, with a big read beard and hair. Like fire. I don't know much more than that. It was hard enough following the van while the grunt was shooting at me let alone trying to see the driver."

"You're hoping that bringing the grunt back alive—you know, mostly alive—would give you the confirmation you're looking for—" started Niya.

"—As well as giving us deeper insight into Team Galactic's plans," added Sam, justifying his reasons.

Alyssandra sighed. "You remember when we promised Professor Rowan not to get involved with Team Galactic all those months ago?" she asked rhetorically, "What ever happened to that? That was nice. We should do that."

"We can't."

This time it was Niya who refused to back down, ironically.

"No…I heard Looker and he might be right," she continued, "Our fate seems to be tied with Team Galactic's now. I don't know why…I just know, we keep ending up involved in their plans somehow. We're always there, at the right place at the right time. Whether it's to disrupt or dismantle their operations…this isn't a coincidence anymore."

"Girl's got a point," nodded Aurelio, "You do seem to be get entangled with them far too often for it to be anything natural."

"So, we're seeing this through then?" asked Jeremy, "Bringing down Team Galactic? Because I'm only fifteen and there's a lot I'd like to do with my life still—death, surprisingly, isn't one of them."

"I don't think we really have a choice anymore," sighed Sam, "No matter what we try to do we keep getting sucked in to their schemes."

"What happens if it _is_ Alexios?" asked Alyssandra, asking the question that was on everyone's mind.

"I will see the end of Team Galactic regardless," replied Sam.

"Of course, you," sighed Niya, "Put that aside. Are you going to go chasing after Alexios looking to kill him or defeat him or bring him to justice or something stupid like that?"

"You should knock the lying bastard's face in!'' chimed in Aurelio.

As usual, Sam ignored his grandfather—though part of him wanted to agree.

"No," replied Sam curtly, "I won't. If I bring down Team Galactic, that's enough. Knowing whether or not it's Alexios just gives me the answers I need."

"I'm holding you to that," responded Niya, "Now, come on. I need rest. I'm feeling tired—don't you dare!"

Sam held back his comment with a sigh. "Come on," he simply responded, "Let's go."

With that, the group walked the few blocks to the Pokémon Centre—mostly because Niya's pride refused her to accept any form of ride or being carried. Most of the night was spent with Niya getting examined and told that while the fall was cause for her to rest, it was not severe enough to cause a concussion or any permanent damage.

Niya's greatest victory that day was that after everything, she would get a full night's rest without being woken every few hours because of a condition.

Sleep was Niya's friend that night—and everyone's.


	62. 60 - Seaside Route 213

~ Chapter 60 ~

Seaside Route 213

" _Should we have taken our time as we did on Route 213? Probably not, but the white sand beaches and the warm water lapping at the shore was enough to draw us in. The sunsets were fantastic, and the dawns were even better. It was one of the southernmost shores of Sinnoh, and every here could agree it was one of the prettiest. As life-long citizens of the region, nothing—save for the Resort Area. Besides, we needed the time to swallow the information we were given by Looker and his interrogation of the Galactic Grunt. The Grunt got hauled off to jail, and he's likely still rotting there. But he gave us information invaluable to bringing down Team Galactic."_

Sam and the others rode their Rapidash towards the white sand shore.

They stopped as their Rapidash's hooves touched the water. They'd camp here; just a few feet from where the waterline would be once the sun had gone down.

It would provide them a large space for them and their Pokémon.

As well as ample room for a fire pit, some rocks to sit on, and a place to sit and discuss the information Looker had gleaned from interrogating the Team Galactic Grunt.

He had learned much.

It was a mix of what they already knew, coupled with some new information.

It was an hour before the group had finally set up camp and got the fire roaring. They and their Pokémon sat there, around the fire, talking about everything Looker had shared with them.

"Galactic Commander Alexios, huh?" asked Jeremy.

"Yup," nodded Sam, "Seems so. Head of Research and Development; he works closely with Galactic Admin Charon, Head of Science and Experimentation."

"That was them we saw at the Galactic Eterna Building then…those two people doing experiments on Pokémon and people," added Niya, "That's horrible…fucking terrible."

Sam nodded again.

They had learned that Team Galactic was an organization that had originally been founded under the guise of creating renewable energy sources. They had constructed the Valley Windworks and paid for most of it until selling it off to the Sinnoh Region.

Their headquarters was the Galactic Veilstone Building, with a warehouse entrance and a hidden street entrance.

They had a secondary headquarters in Eterna—the Galactic Eterna Building. But intervention from Sam and friends had reduced their Eterna building to an empty, abandoned husk of its former self.

Team Galactic left nothing behind of value or of import. Nothing was learned from excavating that building.

Interpol still planned to make an attack on the Veilstone Building in the near future, but for now it was impregnable save for Looker's investigations.

The Grunt also divulged the team's hierarchy. At the top was the boss, a man named Cyrus, he was seconded by Galactic Commander Jupiter. Following Jupiter was a man named Saturn, who was often tasked with watching over the Galactic Veilstone Building when Cyrus was absent. After Saturn was Commander Mars.

The group was familiar with Saturn as the woman leading the Eterna operation. Mars was there too, but they had first come across her at the Valley Windworks where she stalled the group long enough to achieve their goal of stealing energy from the Windworks.

Saturn had apparently been the blue-haired man Sam and Jeremy had seen in charge of Team Galactic's takeover of the Pokétch Company in Jubilife City, though they hadn't met him personally or battled him head on.

Saturn seemed the type to sit back and let his grunts do the work, rather than Mars or Saturn, who were far more direct in their approaches to leadership.

The Grunt was never able to confirm whether Saturn, Jupiter and Mars were their real names, or nicknames developed to protect their real identities.

Rounding off the Galactic Leadership were Commander Charon and Commander Alexios. Charon was, as previously mentioned, Head of Science and Experimentation. Alexios was the Head of Research and Development. He was also one of Team Galactic's two leading experts on the ancient Pokémon of Sinnoh's legends.

Cyrus himself was the other.

Team Galactic's true pants were not revealed however. The Grunt claimed he didn't know—whether or not he told the truth was still to be seen. But all he could say was that Team Galactic's plans involved the Legendary Pokémon and making the world a better place.

As for their operation in the Great Marsh and the massive explosion, all the grunt knew was that the explosive device was known as the Galactic Bomb. The explosion at the Great Marsh had only been a test…a test of something yet to come.

Alexios had developed the Galactic Bomb, and it was his brainchild. He had recruited the grunt randomly along with a few others to assist in the testing of this bomb.

They had planted it several days before it went off and made their escape in the confusion. Unfortunately, the group of Galactic operatives had been discovered right as they were making their escape—and while most of them escape, Sam had managed to capture the grunt whom Looker interrogated.

The information in regard to the Galactic Bomb terrified not only the group, but Looker and the local police force as well.

Team Galactic could strike anywhere, at any time, with a force stronger than any known explosive yet.

To what end? No one knew.

Sam and the others armed themselves with this knowledge and were now on a constant lookout for suspicious activities out in this direction of Sinnoh.

This was the way that Team Galactic had gone when they escaped Pastoria City. The van was found abandoned just outside the city as well, meaning Alexios and the other grunt had escaped on foot—or using other means of travel. Like Pokémon or a second getaway vehicle.

Some part of everyone wished that they could come across Team Galactic on their way to, and through, the Valor Lakeside Resort. If luck was with them, they'd confront and Alexios and be able to stop him and catch him before he set off another Galactic Bomb…or had the chance to make more.

Sam thought it most likely that Alexios was either heading to the next location they'd be setting off the bomb, or back to the Galactic Veilstone Building where they could regroup and report in.

At this point, either was most likely.

They'd find out soon enough.

If they were striking next in this direction, it made most sense to hit the Valor Lakeside Resort.

But why? What would they gain from it other than senseless destruction and widespread terror?

Unless…no that was another possibility to ponder later, for now, they had dinner to worry about. Their Pokémon had eaten, but now it was time for the four teenagers to do so.

"Come on," sighed Sam, standing up and going over to where the saddlebags sat in the sand, "Let's start cooking. It's getting late and we're all hungry."

"Hey Sam," started Alyssandra as she followed him to the saddlebags.

Sam grunted in response.

"Do you think we'll be able to stop Team Galactic before they set off another one of those Galactic Bombs?" she asked, remembering the images of horror and destruction throughout the Great Marsh and Pastoria City.

All the people and Pokémon dead or wounded because of a single explosive device…it was horrible.

"I think we will," smiled Sam, trying to reassure his friend. The truth was, he wasn't as sure as he made himself look. He was just as worried about not stopping Team Galactic again the next time.

All he could do for now though was cook and hope and try with a burning passion—and do his best to get there first next time.

The world didn't need a repeat of the Great Marsh.


	63. 61 - Lakeside Resort, No Time to Rest

~ Chapter 61 ~

Lakeside Resort, No Time to Rest

" _We didn't get to spend as much time on Route 213 as we wanted. But that was probably for the best in hindsight. We received an invitation from Valentina to come spend time with her at her Champion's Villa. Her Villa was nearby, located at the Valor Lakefront Resort. A common vacation destination for families and young couples; it was located atop a cliff that overlooked the beaches of Route 213 below, and the South Sinnoh Sea. Niya and I read between the lines of her phone call. She had caught wind of the goings on in Pastoria City through the Pokémon League and wanted to talk to her sister and friends about it. Whether or not she had heard about the group's plans to take on Team Galactic and bring them down remained to be seen, but it was likely. Niya and I deduced that she was either going to berate us or pledge her support to us. But our visit to Valentina was cut short by the antics of Team Galactic. While staying at the Valor Lakefront Resort, we discovered Alexios and a small group of Galactic Grunts hiding out from the authorities after the explosion at the Great Marsh. We gave chase to them, all the way to the Valor Lakefront, but Alexios managed to escape with most of his grunts. We still got one of the grunts he left behind, but he gave us nothing that could've possibly helped us with taking down Team Galactic. I'll admit though, if it wasn't for Cynthia, he would have escaped too"_

Sam, Jeremy, Niya, Alyssandra and Pikachu entered the reception of the Valor Lakefront Resort.

The entire resort sat upon a raised cliff that overlooked Lake Valour's wooded lakefront, and the South Sinnoh Sea and Route 213. It was close enough in proximity to both these waterfront locations that people could go and enjoy either.

At the same time, the Lakeside Resort had countless villas and rental properties with their own pools and hot tubs, as well as countless other amenities.

It was one of the two luxury vacation spots of Sinnoh—the other being the Resort Area in the Battle Zone.

The group waited patiently on the soft leather couches giving Pikachu an unending wave of belly rubs as they waited for Valentina to come meet them, so they could gain entrance to the resort.

Sam couldn't believe how secure this place was. If you didn't have a reservation, or a key proving you were already staying there, they wouldn't let you past the front gate.

The entire raised area of the Valor Lakefront Resort was walled off with hedges and bushes, and the only ways in or out were through the two buildings that formed the reception area.

A front desk with well-dressed young men and women behind them were the staple of the reception area.

Tiles, marble, curtains, fancy old furniture, and even carousels of brochures and postcards were also mainstays of the buildings.

It wasn't much longer before Valentina strode through the entryway, coming from inside the resort.

Everyone gave a small bow as she entered, and several of the managers and staff flocked to her to make sure her every need was met.

No wonder, she was probably one of their most esteemed guests. The Champion led the region and kept it and its people safe. They were the single most important person in the entire region.

And she chose to make her home at the Valor Lakefront Resort.

The operators were not going to let her want for anything—if only to increase their own prestige and standing.

It wasn't long before Valentina had warded off all of the throng of people surrounding her with a few sharp, but veiled words.

She approached her sister and her friends happily, hugging them all, and bringing Pikachu onto her shoulder as the Pokémon looked to her for more Oran berries.

Valentina obliged the Pokémon as she looked upon the tired-looking group. "You've had a long trek?" she asked.

"Yes and no," replied Sam.

"We rushed right over after we got your message," Niya responded flatly, "The opportunity to stay at the Lakefront Resort was not to be passed up. No one else will admit it, but I'll tell it like it is."

Everyone smiled sheepishly at Valentina as she laughed towards Niya's remark. Embarrassed as they were, Niya wasn't wrong.

"We can only sleep in a tent so many times before we start missing the luxuries of home," exclaimed Alyssandra, "And Pokémon Centres are nice— "

"But the linens are itchy," added Jeremy, "And it isn't the same as home."

Valentina smirked. "It's okay, I get it," she stated simply, "Though I would've imagined if I was travelling around on Accardi money I'd be staying in some fancier places."

Sam's face went red and Valentina doubled over laughing. "I'm just kidding, don't worry. You have nothing to prove to me. Come on, let's get going to the villa."

Valentina led her sister and friends through the exit from the reception building, and out into the Lakefront Resort.

It was beautiful.

Mosaic tiles of blue and white formed the walkways and pathways and sidewalks of the resort.

The homes and villas were fancy carved marble, and clay, painted with frescos and mosaic designs across their sides.

Shrubbery, statuary, marble idols and fountains as far as the eye could see. Children, parents, families, even Pokémon, could be seen everywhere. It was a paradise.

Hot tubs and pools, gazebos and beautiful gardens and flower bushes dotted the backyards of the homes and the visitors.

"If the regular places look this nice," stated Sam, stopping to sniff a rose bush, "I can't wait to see what the Champion's Villa looks like."

"It's nice," noted Valentina, "But I'll be honest, it's a little crowded—though it has a fantastic view of Lake Valor. Too many neighbours far too close. I've been considering selling and upgrading to a villa in the Resort Area. Plus, it's a little closer to the Pokémon League."

"A lot of challengers?" asked Sam, partly worried the chance to beat Valentina would be taken from him.

"Not really," replied Valentina, "But the more badges you get the closer I need to be to the League to defend it. The last thing I need is you showing up to ransack the place without me there to defend my title. Of course,…you'd have to get through the Elite Four first. I'd love to see you try and get through Bertha."

"She's been a part of the Elite Four for a long time, hasn't she?" asked Niya, "Since before Cynthia."

"She was inducted as a member of the Elite Four by Adelaida De Oliveira herself," confirmed Valentina, "She was already a veteran Elite Four of a few years by the time Cynthia took over."

The rest of the walk went silently.

It wasn't long before they reached the edge of the cliff that overlooked Lake Valor.

It really was a beautiful sight. A sapphire blue lake, bluer than the sky, that was polished and calm like a mirror, perfectly reflecting the sky.

"There's no island in the middle of the lake?" wondered Alyssandra.

"Not at Lake Valor," explained Valentina.

Lake Verity and Acuity were known for their island caves in the centre. Well, caves were a strong word. The islands held a small rocky mound on them. Within them were said to live the Legendary Pokémon of the Lake.

The entrances to these mounds were non-existent though, and no one was ever sure how the Pokémon got in or out—if they even existed. No one had ever seen them to verify their existence.

"Scientists say that they have discovered a small landmass beneath the water at the bottom of the lake," explained Valentina, "But, I've never seen it myself so what do I know. It might be best that way—the Legendary Pokémon doesn't need people bothering it."

Valentina unlocked the door to her villa—a beautiful stuccoed and frescoed building with a pool around the side, statuary guarding the doorway, pillars, two floors, and mosaic-tile walkways.

The lot was guarded by tall stone walls and hedges.

It was beautiful.

As they stepped inside, the group was greeted by travertine and marble floors, and beautifully painted walls.

A sitting room sat off to the left, and a library to the right. The ceilings were high, and everyone's voices echoed.

"Leave your shoes on," waved Valentina, as everyone put down their bags and tried to pull off their shoes, "I haven't mopped the floors in a few days. They're due again soon anyway."

Valentina led everyone into the small sitting room and waited until they were all seated to drop the bomb everyone was expecting. "So," she smiled, "Lassoing a Team Galactic grunt and dragging him across the city, huh?"

Sam's face turned bright red, but he stood strong. "He," started Sam, "At the time it didn't seem so bad. Between the explosion at the Great Marsh and the rocket launcher…"

"Yeah I heard about that," added Valentina flatly, "But did you really have to drag him across the city?"

"At the time it seemed like a good idea," said Sam defensively, "Besides, after everything Team Galactic's done to people and Pokémon, it's the least they deserve."

Valentina raised an eyebrow. "If you keep going after all the bad guys in Sinnoh I'm going to be out of a job."

"Isn't that the point?" replied Sam with a wink.

Valentina threw her head back and laughed.

But the seriousness of her voice returned very quickly. "I really hope you know what you're doing," she warned, "Team Galactic doesn't mess around. They've shielded themselves with legal technicalities, money and skirting around the law. But beneath that they are cruel, violent, and vindictive. Local and international police alike have gone missing or shown up dead after investigating them."

"Didn't they hijack and abandon a cruise ship full of Pokémon and people a few years ago?" wondered Jeremy.

"We can't prove it was them, but the evidence points that way," explained Valentina, arms crossed, and brows furrowed, "Cynthia tried everything she could but there was never enough substantial evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that it was them. Courts won't take circumstantial evidence."

"And what about what they did to the Pokétch Company, Eterna City or the Valley Windworks?" continued Niya.

"We couldn't catch them at any of those locations, but that would be enough to jail them all for years," nodded Valentina, "But the Valley Windworks…apparently they still own a majority share of it under a shell corporation. They've been masquerading an energy company for years to the public."

"I don't care what you say," warned Sam, "I'm not backing down. None of us are."

Everyone's face echoed the resolve in Sam's voice.

Valentina raised an eyebrow as she watched Sam and his friends. Their faces said it all. "Well I clearly won't be able to stop you," she admitted, "But I'm going to insist that you be careful. Please. I don't need to pick any of you up in a body bag because you got yourself in too deep."

"If anyone's going in a body bag it's going to be Alexios," grumbled Sam through a clenched jaw.

"Pardon?" asked Valentina, not sure if she heard Sam clearly.

"Alexios, the old professor from Pokémon School in Twinleaf," clarified Sam, "He works for Team Galactic. He's part of their science team, performing sick experiments on people and Pokémon alike."

Valentina frowned. "Hmm," was all she could return in response.

Alyssandra changed the subject. "Sis, did you call us here just to try and stop us from taking on Team Galactic?"

Valentina smirked wryly at the teenagers. "Partly," she admitted, "But at the same time, I also had a little update you might be interested in."

"And what would that be?" wondered Niya.

"Well, the Black Claw Gang really doesn't put up much of a fight. Shortly after our announcement we received an unaddressed letter from one Black Helm. He deemed it 'not worth the trouble' to continue his operations in the Sinnoh Region. Between the exposure they gained by kidnapping you, to my announcement the other week on the radio, it seems the Black Claw Gang have pulled their operation out of the Sinnoh Region—though we're going to maintain a constant vigil just in case this is a ruse, or they choose to return one day."

Sam remained silent. He wanted to believe Black Helm. He had only met him once, but he seemed a man able to keep his word.

At the same time, there was no doubt he'd be making further incursions into Sinnoh in the future—but how far into the future was currently unknown.

"I'd say that's smart," agreed Sam, "Who knows when their mysterious leader will choose to brave the wrath of Sinnoh again."

"Oh, I completely agree," began Valentina, "In fact—"

Valentina's response was cut short by a scream, and several cries from the street followed by a loud, room-shaking explosion.

The group wasted no time in rushing out the front door to see what was wrong. What they saw confused, angered, and inspired them.

Several Team Galactic grunts had escaped from a house down the street that was now a smoking, burning pile of rubble and destruction.

At the head of the group of grunts was a tall man in a black overcoat, with long red hair and a beard.

Sam was certain it was Markus Alexios. That meant that these grunts were the remaining culprits of the explosion at the Great Marsh from the other day.

They had been hiding out in the Lakefront Resort.

Sam let out a roar as he charged after the grunts and Alexios.

Jeremy joined him, without a second thought.

Meanwhile, Valentina organized Niya and Alyssandra into a response unit, looking into anyone who had been injured by the blast.

The redheaded leader of the Team Galactic fugitives turned back as Sam roared after him—there was no mistake to Sam at that point. That man _was_ Alexios.

Sam and Jeremy ran side by side, their legs pumping and chests burning. They were already sweating.

They had chased Team Galactic all the way to the actual Valor Lakefront. They were a few hundred yards from the lake itself.

"We're gaining!" cried Jeremy as he and his friend

"Keep running!" responded Sam, refusing to be distracted from his goal.

Jeremy glared hard at the grunts. Something occurred to him as he did. Those grunts would sacrifice themselves to save Alexios…if that meant distracting and battling Sam and Jeremy to buy Alexios time to escape—which was the most likely option—they would happily stop running if commanded to do so.

"Sam! Go on without me!" cried Jeremy, reaching for a Poké Ball at his side.

"What?" asked Sam, confused as to what Jeremy meant.

Jeremy didn't respond, and instead sent out Buizel. "Buizel!" cried Jeremy, "Ice Beam on those grunts!"

Buizel responded quickly and craftily, jumping in the air as it ran alongside Jeremy, blasting white lightning currents at the grunts, freezing them in their place at their feet.

Several grunts fell over, several more fell backwards, but they were stuck where they were, unable to provide the needed distraction for Alexios.

"Go!" cried Jeremy to Sam, "Don't worry about me! I'll buy _you_ some time instead, just get Alexios!"

Sam nodded and thanked Jeremy internally. He hoped Jeremy would be okay against these grunts, but he didn't have time to focus on that.

Sam charged past the grunts, after Alexios, with the speed of an angry Tauros. "Alexios!" he cried, but the red headed man kept running.

He looked panicked, and desperate. Sam had to be careful.

But before Sam could catch up to Alexios, the man stopped and turned, pulling a fun from his coat pocket, aiming it towards Sam.

Sam froze on the spot.

He looked hard, locking eyes with the man who used to be his teacher. Someone he looked up. Now…now he was staring down the barrel into the eyes of a killer and a desperate man.

Sam did the only thing he could think of, with a gun pointed as his head. He tried to talk his way out of this. "So, this is how it all ends?"

Alexios cocked back the hammer of his revolver. It reflected evil off the black gunmetal as the sun caught it through the branches. "I've got no choice."

"You sure about that?" wondered Sam, "You once told me everyone has a choice. Every day. We make little choices and big choices—everyone has a choice, but we also have consequences."

"Shut up!" roared Alexios, his hands clammy and shaking, pointing the gun harder at Sam.

Sam remained calm, but his stomach churned within. He wanted to puke. He had never been this close to death. Not even the Black Claw Gang—for all their muscle and guns—were ever going to kill Sam. He was far too valuable for them.

But Markus Alexios had become a man who was so desperate he was willing to do whatever he had to…

And that's what worried Sam the most.

"Why, Professor?" was all Sam could think to ask.

"I…I spent my whole life, working on trying to bring scientific credence to the old legends of Sinnoh," explained the ex-Professor, "I tried so hard…I tried to follow in the footsteps of Professor Silas Yarrow before me, and his family, and you know what I got for it?"

"You got banished," answered Sam, "Kicked out of the scientific community and ostracized."

"I was laughed at! I was mocked and ridicule!" roared Alexios, "I was treated like I was crazy! Why? What was so different between my predecessors and me? What made me the laughing stock?"

"I honestly couldn't tell you…maybe something to do with your sick experiments and the lengths you were willing to go to," replied Sam coldly, "From what I learned from Professor Rowan you were willing to steal artefacts, hold people at gun point, and bully them into giving you long forgotten, protected secrets. You'd blow countless grants on fruitless expeditions that went nowhere…you sent people to their deaths up on Mount Coronet….and you embezzled money from these grants and invested it into a company known as Galaxy Energy Corporation. A front for Team Galactic."

"I did what I had to do to get my research funded, believed, published and furthered!" roared Alexios, "You have to do whatever you need to get anywhere in this world. You have to make tough choices no one else will—how else do you achieve greatness? How else do you get remembered by history?"

"By not being a crazy fucking git," bit back Sam, his temper rising.

Bad move.

The gun fired, smoke billowed from the muzzle, the chamber rotated over to the next round and the bullet whizzed past Sam's head so fast he could feel the wind it created.

Sam's heart jumped.

Alexios smiled and cocked the hammer back again.

"What happened in the Great Marsh?" asked Sam, "What was that explosion?"

Alexios didn't answer.

"Tell me," he asked, almost begged, trying to make Alexios believe he was in charge and thus, put him at ease.

"That was the Galactic Bomb," explained Alexios, "It's necessary to our plans. The Great Marsh was a test run...and it was a success. We needed that."

"What do you mean?" asked Sam.

"Our failure in Eterna was not well received by our leader or Our Lord," explained Alexios, "They…we were severely punished for losing Eterna City, and for failing to stop you and your friends. My continual failures to discover anything more about the ancient Pokémon of Sinnoh, as well as the Guardians of the Lake have cost me dearly."

"So, you put everything you had into the Galactic Bomb you tested on Pastoria City," finished Sam, "And if that was a test…that means you've a made a second, and you plan to unleash that upon the region as well."

"Naturally," smirked Alexios, "Too bad you won't live to see it—good for Team Galactic you won't be around to stop me."

Alexios took aim.

"You're going to kill me and try and get back in your leader's good books," Sam concluded, "That explains why you were practically abandoned by Team Galactic after the explosion at Pastoria City. It worked…but it caused too much of a scene. The heat is on Team Galactic now. It wasn't discreet…and we captured one of your men. I bet your leader didn't take that well either. And now you're scrambling to get back to your headquarters in Veilstone where you'll hopefully be safe."

"Don't take it personal," quipped Alexios, "It's only business. I have no choice left."

"Of course," smiled Sam, "But I hope you know I won't be going down without a fight."

Bang.

Jeremy had been lucky.

His battle against the Team Galactic grunts almost ended badly.

Although his Buizel had evolved into Floatzel, he soon found himself surrounded, outnumbered, and backed into a corner by the Galactic grunts.

It had only been due to the arrival of Cynthia and her Garchomp that he had managed to take down the grunts and place them under arrest until the authorities arrived.

Jeremy and Cynthia had just finished up restraining the last of the Team Galactic grunts when the gunshot sounded.

Jeremy's face was instantly panicked, and Cynthia's didn't seem to show much more confidence.

Jeremy rushed out into the forest ahead of him, Pikachu at his side.

Cynthia remaining behind to keep an eye on the Galactic grunts.

Jeremy's only thoughts were what had happened to Sam.

He followed Pikachu's nose to the direction Sam had gone, which meant he was going the same way Alexios had gone too.

The only real question…which of the two of them lay at the end of this road, and which one was dead.

Jeremy stopped as he slammed head on into Sam, the two of them tumbling over in a tangled heap.

Pikachu's speed allowed him to avoid disaster and nimbly escape the crash.

"Sam!" cried Jeremy, "Fuck! You're alive!"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" Sam forced a smile, but his face was grim.

"Are you okay? I heard a gunshot," explained Jeremy, "I thought maybe—"

"I'm fine," was all Sam said.

"But the gunshot—" continued Jeremy, trying to make sense of what had happened.

"Alexios fired at me and ran, used the distraction to flee," shrugged Sam, "Bastard. We'll catch him soon enough."

Jeremy raised an eyebrow but didn't press the issue further.

"How'd it go with the grunts?" wondered Sam, trying to move on from the subject.

"They almost got me, I'll admit. But Cynthia showed up and saved my ass—though my Buizel evolved, so," smiled Jeremy. He was clearly pleased with himself.

Sam smiled softly. "I'm glad. Come on, let's get back. The girls might need help—or at least want to make sure we're safe."

While Sam tried to seem fine on the outside, inside, he was shaken a bit.

Alexios had shot himself instead of Sam…blew his brains out right in front of Sam.

Sam hated the man…but the small part of him that remembered Professor Alexios as a child, always being there to encourage and help mentor Sam towards the person he was today…

The man who had killed himself was not the same Alexios, but it was the same body…he had come from the same person. That was hard to separate…no matter how hard Sam tried.

Sam had enough respect for Alexios to bury him, using Gabite's Dig.

But that didn't stop Sam from being shaken from the whole ordeal.

He had never seen a life ended so quickly in front of him before…and he had never seen someone he knew die in front of him so violently…

This would be a moment Sam would not forget for a long time.


	64. 62 - The Mysterious Woods

~ Chapter 62 ~

North to Veilstone, The Mysterious Woods

" _If there is one place in the Sinnoh Region with more legends, stories, and ghost sightings than Mount Coronet, it's Route 214. Legends told of an ancient cave in an old volcanic crater, off a pond, in a secret and misty woods. It was known as Sendoff Spring, the locals call it 'Sinnoh's secret fourth lake.' It was said that was where the souls of the dead passed through the veil into the next world. It was said Death itself lived within the ancient cave known as Turnback Cave. Wonder how it got that name…never did stick around long enough to find out. So, people wonder, is this place haunted? I don't even have an answer for that."_

Sam, Jeremy, Niya and Alyssandra walked through the misty woods of Route 214.

Pikachu sat upon Niya's shoulder, chattering its teeth as they quietly crept through the dark woods.

The fog that pervaded this part of Route 214 was so thick they could barely see two feet in front of them.

At one point, Jeremy had kicked a rock into the fog and as the group walked deeper into the woods looking for it, they were horrified to find the rock had simply disappeared.

Niya discredited this seemingly supernatural experience to everything from a ricochet, to the fact it was any ordinary rock and likely disappeared among the other similar rocks and stones.

The others weren't so convinced.

To make matters worse, every few minutes a loud, screeching cry erupted from the forest, making every jump.

Once more it sounded, and Pikachu dashed from Niya's shoulder to hide in Alyssandra's shoulder bag.

"What the fuck is that?" whispered Jeremy, "Seriously it's been doing that all morning…"

"I don't know," shrugged Sam, "But if it wanted to attack us it would have by now."

"That's if it's even seen us," added Alyssandra quietly, "Let's not give it any incentive to find us."

"So what," hissed Niya, "We're just not supposed to speak? Personally I think you guys are just crazy. It's probably just some bird or something."

"What bird do you know that sounds like a demon?" Sam question right back, very pointedly.

"Ever met a sparrow?" smirked Niya.

"You're fucking nuts," Sam responded, watching Pikachu shiver from within Alyssandra's bag.

"Back at you," replied Niya.

"Guys, this is not the time to be at each other's throats—even jokingly," added Alyssandra, "We need to get out of these woods and out of this fog. I've never heard of this much fog on Route 214."

"Lyss is right," nodded Niya, "I've been down here before…It was never this foggy. Unless..."

"Unless?" asked Jeremy.

Niya smirked. "Unless we've somehow gone off course."

"Off course how?" Jeremy panicked, "How far off course?"

Niya's response was delayed by another shriek, then a rattling from the trees around the group. Then, wind blew gently, tousling the fog around them. Sam could see it swirl in patterns like a phantom.

A chill ran up Sam's spine, and he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

"I don't like this…" whispered Sam, "Niya where do you think we are?"

"I was going to say…" started Niya, finally disturbed by how creepy everything was around her, "What if we're by Sendoff Spring?"

"Sendoff Spring? Isn't that where the souls of the dead go after they pass from this world?" asked Jeremy, his voice waivering.

"Supposedly," shrugged Niya, "No idea if that's true or not…never exactly went out of my way to find out. I made sure I gave a wide berth to that part of Route 214."

"I thought Sendoff Spring was in another world?" asked Alyssandra, "Valentina always said that Sendoff Spring was accessible to just anyone—that you had to be dead, or have a special artefact that would open the way."

"Well, I can't say we have any special artefacts," shrugged Sam, "And I really hope we're not dead."

Another ear splitting cry…and this one was close.

"Shit," hissed Alyssandra, "I don't like this…how do we get unlost?"

Niya shrugged.

Then, suddenly the wind blew hard, ripping leaves and branches and twigs from the trees and tossing them around on the ground.

It was what felt like an eternity of that before finally, as they opened their eyes and the wind died down, the group was confronted with a spectacular sight.

They were on the ridge of a massive crater. At the centre, a shimmering pristine lake that reflected the sky above like a glass mirror. It was undisturbed and untouched by even the wind.

It was beautiful. Trees surrounding the rim of the crater framed the beauty of the crater, and on the other side, in the centre of the crater wall, a gaping maw; a dark cave that was said to be the centre of Sendoff Spring.

Everyone gasped in awe as they saw what lay before them. They were surprised it was something so beautiful for a place so ominous.

"Sendoff Spring?" asked Alyssandra aloud.

"Looks like…" replied Niya at the sudden change in scenery.

"Do we go in and explore?" asked Jeremy.

"I'd rather not mess with the souls of the dead—but that's just me," replied Niya again, this time a clear distate for exploration clear in her voice.

"Not surprisingly, I agree with Niya," added Sam.

No one disagreed.

Then, nearby, the tree rattled, and the ear splitting roar-shriek sounded once more, but this time, much closer.

It was coming from the tree.

"That's it!" cried Sam, "I've hade it with that motherfucking scream, in that motherfucking tree!"

Sam called forth his Cranidos, and sent it charging into the thick pine tree that rattled with shrieks and roars.

Cranidos happily obldiged, its hard skull splintering the tree at the base. The tree shook, branches fell to the ground, and the tree itself creaked as it slowly started to fall to the ground.

With a slow, heavy sigh, the tree shuddered and slammed into the ground, taking out parts of other trees around it.

From the tree flew two brightly coloured Bird Pokémon.

Sam was not pleased when he realized what they were.

"Chatot!" he roared, "Seriously?!"

Niya stifled her laughter, and Jeremy looked embarrassed.

Only Alyssandra stepped forward to help Sam. "Shall we take them out together?"

"They don't look that strong, but that roar they've copied, that's some scare tactic," nodded Sam, "Let's catch them!"

Alyssandra sent out her Piplup, while Sam stuck with Cranidos.

The Chatot kept to the air, but the long-range attacks like Flamethrower and Ice Beam from both Pokémon were able to get some hits it.

It wasn't easy though.

The Chatot were fast, and they looked like experienced in battling. No doubt the cry they mimicked were used to keep people and Pokémon out their territory—it made sense that they'd at least be able to back up the terrible cries and roars with some skill.

The wild Chatot and Sam and Alyssandra's Pokémon battled for what seemed like ages. Every so often, Cranidos's Flamethrower would set parts of the forest aflame, and Sam called on his Empoleon to put it out.

The sun was blazing high overhead when Alyssandra and Sam finally brought down the Chatot and had them securely caught in some Ultra Balls.

As Sam and Alyssandra collected their prizes, thanked their Pokémon, and returned them to their Poké Balls, they turned back to their friends who had waited patiently for them to finish.

"Congrats on the catch," noted Niya.

"Thanks," replied Alyssandra.

"There's just one thing that worries me," Jeremy said; speaking up, worry on his face.

Everyone looked at Jeremy, motioning for him to explain.

"Chatot mimic the cries and voices of Pokémon and people around it right?" he asked.

Niya nodded. "Yeah, it can't create new sounds—just mimic," confirmed Niya.

Jeremy's forehead started to glisten a bit. "What the hell kind of Pokémon did these Chatot meet to be able to copy a roar like that?"

Everyone's faces blanched.

And no sooner had Jeremy mentioned that, had the ground begun to shake as a massive Pokémon moved around within the crater below.

They couldn't see the Pokémon, but they could hear it's familiar, ear-splitting roar come from within the cave. The water in the crater eerily remained undisturbed by all the commotion.

"Let's get the hell out of here," cried Sam, dashed back the way the group had come, "I don't care how lost we get, anywhere is better than here!"

"Agreed!" cried his friends.

Pikachu remained hidden in Alyssandra's bad, its muffled cries of fear leaking out as the group ran.

As they fled the area, Sam swore he saw a massive grey Pokémon, with black phantasmal wings, a gilded, armless body, and several thick, trunk-like legs on the back of its thick, worm-like body fly over head, crying out once more as it seemingly chased Sam and his friends from the Sendoff Spring.

Sam didn't know what Pokémon that was, and he wasn't sticking around to find out—ever.


	65. 63 - Rival Rematch

~ Chapter 63 ~

Train Back to Hearthome, Rival Rematch

" _Trains are a curse upon mankind; a veritable plague, a tenacious sickness, a festering wound that seeks to tear humanity asunder. They run late, they're always delayed, and they're so uncomfortable and unaccommodating. The only train I've ever liked was the Tohjo Magnet Train system. Always on time, always polite and punctual, and very comfortable seating. The Eastern Sinnoh Rail however? Ugh. It's criminal how they run the thing. We were stuck in Veilstone again, not even two weeks after the last time this happened. The first train at noon was delayed several times, until it was delayed all the way until past midnight. You can imagine how displeased we were. Stuck and unable to travel far from the rail station, we did the only thing we could think of—battle."_

"Staravia! Steel Wing!" called Sam, determined to show Jeremy's Staravia who's was the stronger one.

The two had decided to bring their Pokémon out for a friendly rival rematch. It had been a while since both Pokémon had battled for supremacy—Niya mentioned it had something to do with their instincts and them both being male.

Jeremy saw no issue with it—so long as the fight didn't get out of hand.

Now the two had been locked in fierce combat outside of the Vielstone Train Station.

It was past midnight, and they had over an hour before the train was supposedly ready to depart—which is something that the ticket takers had been saying all day since noon.

Sam didn't hold out hope.

He did, however, hold out hope for his Staravia to take the win in this battle.

The moon hung high in the sky, shining its pale light down on the four friends and their Pokémon as they watched the two Bird Pokémon battle it out.

"Dodge, Staravia, then loop around get in close, the strike with Aerial Ace!" retaliated Jeremy.

Sam's Staravia was not fast enough to land the Steel Wing, while Jeremy's Staravia had managed get in close like Jeremy had asked.

But Sam wasn't ready to just let his Staravia take the hit.

"Steel Wing again! Harden your wings and defend yourself!" cried Sam.

Staravia was able to react quickly enough. Turning itself ever so slightly in flight, Jeremy's Pokémon Aerial Ace bounced off the steel-hard wings.

Staravia was then able to follow off with a proper Steel Wing, slamming its hardened wings into Jeremy's Staravia's body.

At close range it was harder for Jeremy's Pokémon to dodge so quickly.

"This really is some battle," noted Niya, "They've been at it for almost an hour and it looks evenly matched. No single Pokémon has the type advantage, and their moves are the same—save for Sam's Steel Wing."

"Pika!" agreed Pikachu.

Alyssandra watched silently, but nodded quietly in agreement with Niya's observations.

"Staravia, Double Team!" called Jeremy.

"A diversionary tactic," explained Sam's grandfather, "Not a bad one either. Fill your Pokémon's vision with a bunch of duplicates—quantity not quality is just as confusing. Then escape and regroup far from your Staravia. If I had to venture a guess—"

"—He's planning on striking my bind spot while Staravia is distracted by the duplicates," finished Sam, whispering to his grandfather under his breath, "Way ahead of you on that."

"That's what I'd expect from my blood!" laughed Aurelio, "Don't need a drop of my advice—smart as a whip you always were!"

Sam didn't respond to his grandfather, but merely scanned the skies for Staravia's coming attack.

Anticipating when Jeremy would call it.

It was a clever ruse.

Jeremy had Staravia create an almost unheard of amount of duplicates. This was something he'd been planning and working on for a while.

Was Sam his guinea pig?

Then, a small flash of movement in the throng of flapping clones!

Sam knew what it was. It was Jeremy's Staravia sneaking in close to prepare for Jeremy's coming attack. He was hoping to get in close to Sam's Staravia, so when the attack was called, Staravia would have less of a chance at dodging.

But Sam called out and attack fast before Jeremy could.

"Staravia! Behind you, to the left! Use your wings to blow away the clones and then take out the enemy!" called Sam calmly and confidently.

Sam didn't feel his grandfather's words had aided in him cheating—he wouldn't have countered Jeremy's tactics if it had been. Sam had already seen it coming. But that didn't mean Jeremy's strategy wasn't good.

Sam's Staravia did as he was told, and within minutes, cleared most of the duplicates around the charging Staravia.

Sam's had managed to slam itself into Jeremy's Staravia with a Take Down attack.

But Jeremy's Pokémon refused to go down easy.

"Staravia! Put distance between the two of you, and Take Down Staravia! Put everything you've got into it! No more hiding in the shadows, we're going to knock them down with sheer force!" Jeremy had pulled out all the stops for a desperate final attack.

Both Pokémon were tired, and Niya had spoken truth. They had been at it, flying, dodging and attacking for almost an hour with no clear victor.

This final charge would decide it all.

Sam pulled back his Staravia and had him do the same as Jeremy's.

Time to go down in a blaze of glory, or win with all their strength—there was no in between.

As the two Pokémon closed in on each other, they began to glow, nearing one another as they shone brighter and brighter.

Finally, the light enveloped them, and they were two glowing streaks in the sky. Then, as it dispersed and they changed shape and form, the light erupted from them, revealing two proud, strong Staraptor in their place.

The two Pokémon clashed, slamming their heads and bodies into each other. They pushed each other with all their strength, until…they collapsed, landing on the ground. Exhausted, and huffing—completely out of breath—unable to continue battling.

Sam and Jeremy recalled their Staraptor, thaking their Pokémon for giving it their all.

"I guess they're evenly matched," muttered Niya, "I'm not going to lie I'm a little disappointed. All that competition just to find out they're the exact same…"

"I can't say I'm surprised," smiled Alyssandra.

"Pikaaaa," added Pikachu with a yawn.

"It's getting late," noted Niya, picking up the yawn from Pikachu, "How much longer until that train shows up?"

"Whenever that lady yells over the loudspeaker again," laughed Jeremy.

"The teller said an hour," added Alyssandra.

"Never trust the teller anymore," Sam replied grumpily, "She can't be trusted. She's with the enemy!"

"So what do we do now?" asked Jeremy.

Niya's answer was to lie down next to Pikachu and begin napping. Exhausted from the day, from the disappointment that was Eastern Sinnoh Rail, and from the lateness of the hour.

Jeremy, also tired, wasn't going to argue with that logic, and lay down under the tree near Niya, and closed his eyes for his own nap. As he padded up his backpack to become a pillow, he looked over at Sam and Alyssandra who were now chatting among themselves.

"Wake us up when the traitor lady calls us for the train?" he asked.

His friends nodded and Jeremy nodded off slowly under the moonlight.

"Do you want to go for a walk?" asked Alyssandra, once Jeremy was asleep.

"Not too far," added Sam as he stood up, "We don't know when this train will show up.

The two walked across the open field before the massive train station, to a small pond that sat near the outermost reaches of the property.

As they sat themselves by the edge of the pond, crickets and Kricketot chirping in the nearby grasses, as Illumise and Volbeat danced in the sky above, Aurelio appeared once more, sitting beside the two teens.

"Your grandfather here again?" asked Alyssandra.

Sam nodded.

Alyssandra smiled as she waved to the empty space where Aurelio sat. She couldn't see him, but it was still nice to have him around.

"So, serious question time," started Alyssandra, "What are you going to do about your battle against Fantina?"

"What do you mean?" asked Sam, fiddling around with a blade of grass.

"I think she means your Pokémon," elaborated Aurelio, "You're not exactly equipped to deal with Ghost Type Pokémon—not a full team of them."

"You've both got a point," noted Sam.

Alyssandra seemed to understand—though she couldn't hear Aurelio either—what was going on in the conversation. "Have you found a solution for that? You can't battle all of Fantina's Pokémon with Luxray's Bite and Cranidos's Assurance. That's risky."

"I've got an idea. I've been in contact with my uncle at the ranch," explained Sam, "I think I'm going to recall Weavile and Honchkrow, and use Spiritomb as well. Weavile and Honchkrow are both decently strong Dark Type Pokémon with the type advantage over Fantina's Ghost Types. Spiritomb's got the advantage being a dual Ghost-Dark Type. It has no Super Effective weaknesses, and it's Dark and Ghost Type moves have the advantage against Fantina with none of the weaknesses."

"How…how long have you been thinking this through?" asked Alyssandra, surprised by how deeply Sam had planned his strategy for Fantina despite the battle being a little under a week away.

"Since our last visit to Hearthome I'd been mulling it over," explained Sam, "I knew I was going to be able to count on Weavile and Honchkrow. I figured I'd sub in Luxray or Empoleon, but then we got our Spiritomb and everything fell perfectly into place after that."

"That's my grandson, all right," smiled Aurelio, "No wonder you're odds on favourite for taking the title of Champion this circuit."

"What?" stumbled Sam, almost falling over into the pond as his grandfather laughed.

"What's going on?" asked Alyssandra, hiding her laughter as best she could.

Sam explained what his grandfather had told him, causing Alyssandra to chuckle.

"Yeah, that's what Valentina told me, too," she confirmed, "You got a lot of people placing their bets on you—sometimes literally."

Sam suddenly felt the pressure of all that on his shoulders, and shuddered at the thought.

"Hey," Alyssandra called, hoping to pull Sam from his worries. She placed her hand on his knee, looking him straight in the eyes with a calming look. "It's going to be okay. You aren't responsible for their choices. You're only responsible for your own effort."

Sam smiled. He appreciated Alyssandra's words. They weren't anything he didn't already know, but it was good to be reminded of this every so often.

Sam looked over at his grandfather, to continue talking to him, but by the time he did the old man was gone. Likely to give Sam and Alyssandra some time alone to talk and get closer.

Sam didn't know what his grandfather expected to happen, but he wasn't going to complain about some alone time with the girl he had feelings for since he was a kid.

The two sat there, talking and laughing for what felt like forever—though in truth was only about an hour—discussing anything and everything that came to mind.

These moments were something cherished by both Sam and Alyssandra. Rarely did they have the time to just be alone and talk, usually Jeremy, Niya, Pikachu or evne Aurelio were there with them.

Sam especially cherished his alone time getting to know Alyssandra even better than he already did. Just went to prove that even if he knew Alyssandra her entire life, Sam still had lots to learn about her.

As the night grew darker, colder, and quieter, even the Pokémon and bugs of the night disappearing off into their holes to sleep, Sam and Alyssandra bundled themselves side by side, staring into the stars.

Alyssandra nestled up close with Sam—something she said was normal for friends as close as the two of them—her head rested on his chest, she was wrapped up in Sam's jacket for warmth.

Personally, Sam was already warm as it was, and said he didn't need it.

There was nothing but silence between the two of them as they waited for the train to Hearthome, until Alyssandra finally opened her mouth to ask what must've been the most personal question Sam had ever heard from her mouth.

"What do you plan on doing after you've beaten my sister?" asked Alyssandra, yawning, "Do you think you'd take the title of Champion and work the job like her?"

Sam took a moment to respond. He hadn't quite thought it out—not in detail anyway. "I might, but that depends," replied Sam finally, "I don't know if I'd enjoy the job. I kind of enjoy the transient traveller's life, or the life of a Rancher."

"Say you don't take the job then, would you keep travelling the other regions?" asked Alyssandra.

"I might, or I might just settle down and go work at the Ranch for the rest of my days," admitted Sam.

Alyssandra paused. "Did…do you plan on settling down with anyone?" started Alyssandra, she stumbled on her words, quickly explaining herself, "What I mean is…did you see anyone with you in those plans?"

Sam's face turned bright red, and he struggled to keep his calm as he tried to find an answer. To be honest, he had always sort of imagined Alyssandra there in his future—though he had also seen most of his friends as being there with him.

How would he put this without making himself look creepy?

In the end, Sam didn't have to say anything, as the traitor-teller lady blared over the loudspeaker, announcing the arrival of the train to Hearthome City before he could respond.

Sam and Alyssandra quickly gathered there things, though Sam thought he could see a glint of disappointment in Alyssandra's eyes as she went to gather Jeremy, Niya and Pikachu without the answer she was looking for.

What answer _was_ she looking for?

Sam didn't have time to think that over right now. His main focus was getting on that train before they missed it—or before it was delayed again.

So the night ended there, with a blaring voice over a speaker system in an open field in the middle of the night.

One sleepless train ride later, Sam would be in Hearthome City, and would have to start preparing for his battle with Fantina.

He was halfway to the Pokémon League—halfway to Valentina and the Elite Four—but for now, he still had three more badges to get. Of all these badges, he was most excited to defeat Fantina and finally prove himself.

He'd hoped he had learned whatever lesson she wanted him to learn, because he wasn't taking no for an answer this time.


	66. 64 - Battle with Fantina

~ Chapter 64 ~

Battle with Fantina

" _Even with the type advantage and a Spitirtomb, Fantina was not an easy mathc. She pushed me to my limit, and pushed my Pokémon to their fullest. I had to use everything I'd learned until that point to beat her, and even then I had to learn some new things on the fly. My grandfather's help would've been welcome…he gave it anyway of course, but I did my best to ignore it. If I'm going to win, I want to win based on my own skill. Anything else would have felt like cheating. It was a tough fight…but it was worth every minute to prove myself to not just Fantina, but apparently myself."_

Fantina stared Sam down like an alpha staring down a challenger to their position of power.

In truth that wasn't that far off.

Fantina had a reputation for being a tough battle. She was merciless when she combined her Ghost Pokémon's prowess with her skills for showmanship and flashy contest battles.

One's defeat against Fantina was usually flashy, grand and epic—and incredibly painful for one's ego.

But as the two of them stood across the field of dry, dead grass and false tombstones, fog pouring across the field, leaving chills running up your spine, there was no doubt in Sam's eyes—he would be walking away the victory at any cost.

"Vell, shall we begin?" asked Fantina, pulling a Poké Ball from what looked like thin air.

"I thought you'd never ask!" Sam drew his first Poké Ball.

"Come! Show me vhat you have learned!" cried Fantina as she released a Duskull.

Sam smiled as he countered Duskull with his Weavile.

Aurelio materialized behind his grandson. "You're halfway to the Elite Four," Aurelio reminded Sam, "At this level, battles don't drag on as long as they used to—not as often. Extremely skilled trainers can down an opponent's Pokémon in just a handful of moves."

"Suddenly I'm not looking forward to taking down the Pokémon League," joked Sam under his breath, "If there's not going to be much of a challenge, what's the point?"

"Careful," warned Aurelio wryly, "You don't want to underestimate the Pokémon League…they'll make you regret it."

Sam didn't respond, as his focus went entirely to the battle at hand.

Fantina had silently set her Duskull on Weavile, sending the Pokémon in through a Shadow Sneak. The Duskull remained where it was, but using the spotlights above and the darkness below, it was able to enlarge its shadow and extend across the ring towards Weavile.

Sam called for Weavile to dodge, and just in time.

But Fantina closed the vice, and executed a move that put the pressure on Sam.

"Duskull! Future Sight!" she called.

Sam swore under his breath. Future Sight was not a move that would harm him…yet, and for all it wouldn't do any Super Effective damage; it would do a large chunk of damage, and could be repeated.

It would do damage in a few more moves. Future Sight predicted the attack, and would out a few turns later, lashing out at the enemy.

Sam had a timer on him now to start striking and take down the Duskull. Weavile might survive one Future Sight, but it wouldn't survive more than two or three.

"Weavile! No time to waste, Night Slash!" cried Sam.

Weavile cried and charged at Duskull, slashing at the Pokémon with a wave of purple energy.

"Icy Wind!" cried Sam, pressing the attack. The timer was counting down as he thought.

A blast of cold wind blew around Weavile and Duskull, striking Duskull with pieces of ice and hail.

As the wind blew, Sam sent his Weavile in for a Feint Attack. Sneaking behind Duskull in the shadows, and striking it from behind.

Duskull was sent flying back by the attack. The small ghost Pokémon spun, its eye girating between its two eye sockets. It was shaky, about to fold. Sam had to whittle this Pokémon down just a little more before he won this round.

Weavile had the type advantage in this match, and Sam was going to abuse that.

"Weavile, use Screech!" called Sam.

Weavile immediately opened its mouth and let out a high-pitched sound. Evenryone except for Aurelio's ghost, Fantina and Sam covered their ears from the pitch.

While Duskull cowered at the sound, Sam silently sent Weavile after Duskull, and had it slam into Duskull with another Feint Attack.

Duskull flew again, and was slammed into the side of the arena, where it hit the ground unconscious.

Just in time, too, as the Future Sight took hold of Weavile, and knocked the Pokémon to its knees panting for air.

Though Weavile had the type advantage against a Psychic move like Future Sight, the move was still powerful, and Duskull hadn't left any ounce of power out of it. Weavile could have kept going, but Sam wasn't going to force his Pokémon into a round just to have it lose.

Weavile had earned a good, long rest, and so Sam returned his Pokémon to its ball.

Niya, who acted as the referee for this match at Sam's and her aunt's suggestion, called the match in favour of Sam, as the Gym Leader and her challenger began selecting their next Pokémon.

Sam had two more rounds to go before he beat Fantina. They were both down one Pokémon each. This was going to be fun.

Everyone watched with baited breath as they waited for the two opponents to choose their Pokémon.

It took them a few moments, but it felt longer for everyone watching.

Fantina sent out her Mismagius, and Sam went for Honchkrow.

The two Pokémon, eternally battling for territory in Eterna Forest, where they occur naturally, were bitter rivals in the wild. This battle would play on that it seemed.

Fantina opened up with a Confuse Ray.

Sam followed that up with Haze and a dodge.

A thick level of fog covered the battlefield. Even those in the stands couldn't see their hands in front of their faces.

Sam slipped the Silph Goggles onto his face—something he picked for moments just like this a few days ago—so he could better see the battle.

Honchkrow had managed to dodge the Confuse Ray, but Mismagius was closing in, seemingly only partially inconvenienced by the fog.

The Pokémon seemed at home in the mists, and though it had issues aiming and seeing properly, it looked ready to strike at Honchkrow again. It was only a matter of time before Mismagius was able to strike out at her enemy, Sam had to act quick.

Sam called on Honchkrow to use Night Slash. The Pokémon's wing tips glowed with a malicious darkness. Slicing through the mist with its dark-infused wings, it struck Mismagius.

Mismagius didn't take long to recover though, coming back at Honchkrow with a Confuse Ray.

Honchkrow scrambled to dodge the glowing orb that was launched at it.

Mismagius cackled as its attack narrowed in on Honchkrow.

Sam's quick thinking and Honchkrow's quick flying were able to evade the glowing orb of doom. Sam had Honchkrow let out a Dark Pulse that eradicated the confusion orb, but it also dispelled the mist.

Mismagius and Honchkrow were on even terms now.

Fantina commanded another Confuse Ray, while Sam called another Dark Pulse.

The Dark Pulse eradicated the Confuse Ray, and Sam had Honchkrow follow it up with another Night Slash.

Mismagius tried to dodge, but Sam called for another bout of Mist once more, cloaking the entire field in a thick fog. Sam's plan for Honchkrow was obscuring its opponent's visibility, and striking with Super Effective moves.

It worked.

Mismagius was downed by the Night Slash, the Dark Type move Super Effective against the Ghost Type Pokémon.

Sam recalled his Honchkrow, while his friends cheered.

Niya declared Sam the winner of this round, and Fantina recalled her unconscious Mismagius.

A wide smile spread on Fantina's face. "You have grown stronger since last ve met," she smiled, "You have learned the importance of defeat. It has made you stronger. It has made you faster; it has honed your skills to a precision of meticulous destruction. Your enemies are picked apart with surgical accuracy. I am glad. But this battle is not over yet."

"I should hope not," smirked Sam, "I came this far, waited this long to challenge you. I'd hate to see you give up after all that."

Fantina chuckled, and drew her next Poké Ball.

Sam grabbed his last Pokémon as well.

He had won the first two rounds. If he lost this round, he'd still be able to pull off of a victory. But it wouldn't be as sweet a win. He wanted to win this round two. If he got lazy, he'd definitely lose this. Never underestimate a Gym Leader.

Fantina unleashed her Haunter, and Sam sent out his Spiritomb.

Fantina's eyes widened as she saw her opponent's Pokémon.

"A Spiritomb?" she wondered, mesmerized and amazed, "As a trainer of Ghost Type Pokémon, vun's dream is alvays to own a Spiritomb. They are impossible to find—alvays coming in pairs. I've heard the legends, and how vun must bring a Keystone to the Hallowed Tower but…never in all my years…how?"

"I was gifted a Keystone, last time I was in the city," explained Sam, "I…never expected to get a Spiritomb out of it."

"Luck favours you," chuckled Fantina, "I am jealous. Vhere did you receive this Keystone?"

Sam didn't answer. He couldn't. He didn't mention that Fantina's own niece and the rest of his friends had Spiritomb as well, or how they came to gain them. The Shrine Maidens, all of that was a secret he would never share.

Fantina smirked. "Cynthia has been meddling again, hasn't she?" chuckled Fantina, "Such strong trainers she favours…it's almost as if she _vants_ Valentina to lose."

Sam smiled back, Aurelio himself chuckle behind Sam. "Cynthia always had a habit of meddling in things she shouldn't have. I wonder why she chose to give you four a Keystone, I wonder…the Great Mother and her Shrine Maidens don't normally allow that kind of—anyway, forget me. Beat her, my boy! You've got this in the bag!"

Sam had caught Aurelio's, musings of the Great Mother—something else Sam would need to ask about later.

Aurelio was right for now, the battle was still happening. He needed to battle, and win.

Sam took advtange of the lull in the fighting to send his Spiritomb in to strike.

Spiritomb slipped into the stretching shadows of the gym and snuck on Haunter. A wave of wicked shadow and arms reached up out of the darkness, aiming for the Pokémon.

But Fantina, ever prepared, ordered Haunter to use Hypnosis.

Sam shifted uneasy, and quickly had Spiritomb use Ominous Wind.

Purple winds lashed Haunter in the face, knocking the Pokémon back, and shattering the Pokémon's machine-like focus as it tried to hyponotize Spiritomb.

As Haunter stumbled back, Spiritomb unleashed a Dark Pulse, knocking the Pokémon back further.

Spiritomb closed the gap, and on Sam's orders, unleashed its own Hyponosis.

Haunter fell asleep, hitting the ground as it ceased floating. From here, Spiritomb followed it up with Dream Eater, devouring the dreams of the sleeping Haunter, causing the Pokémon harm and damage, as Spiritomb took its energy for itself.

The Dream Eater continued, until Haunter's troubled sleep stilled, and it stopped moving. Not dead, but defeated.

Sam had done it. He had defeated Fantina, in a swift and effective fashion.

Niya called the match in Sam's favour, and his friends, grandfather, and Pikachu erupted in cheers.

But Sam's eyes looked only at Fantina, who was impressed, proud, and a little disappointed.

Fantina gave Sam a warm smile, but quickly let her face go back to neutral.

Within moments, the woman, in her large ballgown, and her high heels, would clack over across the floor. She was ever graceful, and intimidating, even in defeat. She handed Sam his new badge, the Relic Badge.

"Use it vell, child," she told him quietly.

He did not know if he meant his skills, or the badge, but Sam chose not to think on it too hard just yet.

"You are vun step closer to the Pokémon League," announced Fantina, "One step closer to taking on the Elite Four and the Champion. The battles will get harder, but also faster. Skill, efficiency, speed…that is what assist victory in this vorld, at this level. I vish you luck, and I will be there to see you take the title."

That was the last thing Fantina said to Sam before stalking back over to her Haunter, to comfort and return the Pokémon to its Poké Ball.

This had been the quickest Gym Battle Sam had ever had, but it filled him with the greatest adrenaline rush to date.

He was excited to see what came next.


	67. 65 - Tunnel to Celestic Town

~ Chapter 65 ~

Tunnel to Celestic Town

" _Celestic Town is an isolated, tiny little village located in the norther region of Sinnoh. It's not as far as Snowpoint City, but it's nestled within a small crater valley in the middle of the Mt. Coronet chain. Because of this, it's incredibly hard to get to, surrounded usually by fog, bad weather, and climbing hazards, as one must travel up the Mt. Coronet mountain chain to even reach the basin it sits in. In an attempt to drum up tourism, they opened up a Contest Hall in the small town. But it's special for another reason. Because of its size, isolation, and lack of visitors, it has remained largely unchanged since its foundation by the ancient Sinnoh Tribes. For as hard as it is to visit, it was a hub and veritable treasure trove for historians, researchers and archaeologists. Several were born, or lived within the town, one such professor was an old acquaintance of Professor Rowan, Professor Silas Yarrow, whom we had resolved to visit again once we reached the small town."_

Sam and friends waited outside the Hearthome Cathedral as they waited for their surprising new benefactor.

Cynthia had messaged them the night before, requesting to meet them before the Cathedral the next day at noon. It was now a little past 12:30, and the summer's noon sun beat down hard on the group of teens as they waited.

They were surprised Cynthia had contacted them; for all they had met the former Sinnoh Champion only twice before—the second time was her coming to their rescue alongside Valentina.

Something in Sam wasn't surprised. Cynthia had been friends with Palmer, and once mentored under Professor Rowan, and even knew Sam's grandfather. Though Cynthia and Palmer were not as close as they had once been in their youth, it would make sense that, once Sam—the mutual factor between all of them—had popped up, that something would draw her back top her old friends and acquaintances.

A few minutes past half-past noon, Cynthia finally arrived. Smiling, smirking with all the confidence of a former Champion, with all of the friendliness of one's favourite aunt.

She greeted the teenagers and Pikachu warmly, and gestured for them to follow her.

When asked why the secrecy, urgency, and silence, she gently shushed Niya, and proceeded to lead the teenagers down to the side of the Cathedral, and down in the massive stone room that was once a supply cache centuries ago.

The room was last used as the waiting room during the Hearthome Tournament, and without all the people in the tournament down here, the room echoed more, and felt bigger.

It was darker than the last time Sam had been down here, as much of the lighting had been doused when the place wasn't in use.

Making sure they weren't followed, and that the room was empty, Cynthia had the teens congregate with her around the long, dark hallway that led to who-knows-where.

"This is the tunnel to Celestic Town," explained Cynthia, "I'm sorry for the secrecy, but I needed you here without the watchful eyes of Interpol or Team Galactic. And I don't hold as much power as I once did, in the Pokémon League. Most of what I can pull is clout, reputation and old favours."

"What's wrong?" asked Sam; the mention of Team Galactic had him worried.

"I am from Celestic Town, I was born there, but moved with my family to Twinleaf Town when I was young," explained Cynthia, "My grandmother still lives there. Nilama is her name, but everyone calls her Mama Lama. She's head of the small town there, and comes from a long line of High Priestesses who still worship and deify the Legendary Pokémon of Sinnoh."

"You think Team Galactic's in Celestic trying to infiltrate the town like they did with Eterna City and get what they need to capture the Legendary Pokémon," concluded Niya.

Cynthia nodded. "My grandmother's a tough old woman, but I haven't heard from her in almost two months. No messages get through, and recent heavy fog has engulfed that part of Mt. Coronet, making any kind of travel in or out of Celestic Town dangerous, and almost impossible. But few people know about this tunnel—no one uses it. Except the people of Celestic Town."

"Team Galactic, you think?" asked Jeremy.

Cynthia nodded again. "It wouldn't be the first time they tried something like this, as you know."

"You're sending us to investigate, aren't you?" asked Alyssandra.

Cynthia laughed. "You're quick. Yes, that's exactly what I'm asking. Check on Celestic Town, and report to me if you find anything—if you find my grandmother, she'll know how to get ahold of me. Something's stirring in Sinnoh, and I don't like this bad feeling I have. The Pokémon League is busy combating the Black Claw Gang, and Interpol is too busy trying to infiltrate Team Galactic's Headquarters to worry about much else. So I leave this up to you four—you're the best chance we have. You're experienced at dealing with Team Galactic and their schemes."

"Is there anything we should be aware of?" asked Sam finally.

"Two things," warned Cynthia, "The first, is that you should also look for the house of one Professor Silas Yarrow. He's an old friend of Professor Rowan's, and his research on the old Sinnoh Tribes, and the Legendary Pokémon would likely be a target for Team Galactic's scientists and Admins. Make sure he's alive."

Sam looked at his friends, but said nothing.

Niya realised what Sam had. They had met Silas Yarrow before, in the caves of Mt. Coronet; the odd, blue-haired man who spoke to himself, using a small recording device. They said nothing about this to Cynthia…something was giving them the feeling that that man was not who he said he was now.

"What's the second thing?" asked Niya.

"My grandmother is…traditional, and old. Sometimes that makes her a little abraisive. She's incredibly spiritual so…she can be a bit…tough. Have patience with her," smiled Cynthia apprehensively—there was worry in her voice. Not that her grandmother wasn't alive, but that she might eat Sam and his friends alive.

The teens, already ready to set off on the road—as Cynthia had told them to be without saying why—they got ready to make their way down the long, dark tunnel. Flashlight's out, and ready to go, they turned dutifully to Cynthia.

"Good luck," she warned with a smile, "And be safe. You've got my undying faith. All of you."

With that, Sam, Niya, Jeremy and Alyssandra—with Pikachu on Jeremy's shoulder—made their way down the long tunnel. It got darker, colder, mustier, and wetter the farther down they went.

The walls and floors were made of seamless stone, as if they had been cut and carved out the mountain.

They didn't know how deep underground they were, or how long this trip would take. Their only sense of time was their Pokétch, who told them what time it was outside of the pitch-black hallway.

And so the trip to Celestic Town went.

Alone save for each other, cold, in the dark, the smell of must and antiquity filling their nostrils.

It was an arduous trip; they slept in the narrow tunnels, ate and lived within them. It was almost a week before a bright light shone at the end of the tunnel, marking the exit to Celestic Town.

As the group exited the tunnel, covering their eyes from the harsh sunlight, the first light they'd seen in days, they frowned, as they looked down on the town below, and saw it swarming with Team Galactic grunts.

"Cynthia was correct," frowned Niya, "Team Galactic has taken over."

"We'll need to be careful then. Let's wait until nightfall before we head down to the town, they'll be less likely to spot us."

Everyone agreed, and retreated back into the well-hidden tunnel.

They camped out by the entrance, sitting there, passing the day silently. Jeremy was playing games on his Pokétch, Sam and Alyssandra took the opportunity to nap, not realizing in their sleep they had reached out and grazed hands—something Niya noticed, and had to control herself not to giggle about.

Niya on the other hand, spent her time on look out duty, thinking of the fight to come. She could feel the tension rising, and Team Galactic was nearing completion of their goals. They were getting bolder, but their strikes were becoming fewer and far between. The less they dispatched from their Headquarters, and the more they drew deeper into it, the closer they became to attaining the Legendary Pokémon of Sinnoh.

Her aunt had told her stories, of the ancient Pokémon.

The Three Lake Guardians were hatched from the same egg, created by the Creator Pokémon, and were tasked with gifting humanity emotions, knowledge, and willpower.

The Creator also created three other Pokémon.

One to lord over Space.

One to lord over Time.

And the third was banished for its violence and wickedness, ruled over the evil in the world. It was said it was banished to a world of its own, so it could harm no one else.

The Creator Pokémon then shaped the world from atop what would become Mt. Coronet, using its thousand arms.

Could these legends really be true?

There was proof that the Ancient Tribes had existed, and had worshipped these Pokémon. Niya and her friends had seen enough proof throughout their travels.

But had these Pokémon they claimed to worship actually existed?

Niya rummaged through Sam's pack, and pulled out the small, ornate box with the tiles they had found in the Solaceon Ruins.

There was still the mystery of these tiles. The Solaceon Tribe had been known for being strong in arane and mystic arts. They used these arts to create the Spiritomb.

Had they used these arts to craft these tiles?

What did they mean?

What were they?

Why could no one crack the code?

Niya gently opened the lid, laying out several tiles as she began to fiddle with them.

Nothing happened, though she didn't expect it to.

She sighed as she scrambled the tiles, and rearranged them. Once more she expected nothing to happen…and yet, when she looked up from the tiles, it went from early afternoon to pitch black outside.

Niya jumped, scattering the tiles once more, and as she blinked, the time turned back to where it had been before she started playing with the tiles.

She froze for a moment, then quickly began squirreling the tiles back into the box, slammed it shut, and locked it tight before putting it back in Sam's bag.

She wasn't touching those tiles again for a long time.

It was another few hours before the sun went down.

It was still sunset, and the sky burned orange beyond the high mountain walls the made the bowl-shape of the valley, but the sun had sank beneath the peak of the highest edge of the crater, leaving the small village below in darkness.

The lights hadn't come on yet in the town below, so the group had a few minutes to scramble down the side of the mountain as quietly as they could and make it to the town in the cover of darkness.

They made it just in time, as several lampposts flared to life, a small flame burning within them. Lights in homes turned on, and the city glowed with a faint life again.

They were pressed up against the side of a house, looking out for patrolling Team Galactic grunts.

As they tried to make a beeline for the Pokémon Centre, Alyssandra stopped them.

"Guys, look at this," she whispered.

She pointed to a small sign on the side of the house next to a mailbox.

"Doctor Silas Yarrow, PhD, Professor of Archaeology, Pokemonthropolgy, and History," read Sam in a hushed tone, "This is his house."

Everyone nodded. They knew what they needed to do next.

They tested the door…it swung right open. There was no lock, and the inside seemed dark.

They gently snuck inside and quietly closed the door behind them. They locked and deadbolted the door, then quietly made their way around the house to the windows in each of the rooms, and gently closed the curtains.

It was not a big house. There was a small sitting room off the main entrance. To the left of the entrance, a small kitchen and a table with two chairs.

The sitting room had a comfy looking armchair a squashy looking couch. There was no TV, but a radio sat where a television might now adays.

A cart of alcohol was pushed off to the corner, and it looked like it had seen heavy use.

Off the main sitting room was a small study-library. It was filled with shelves, had a massive oak desk in the middle. Down the hallway was a bathroom on the right, and a small spartan bedroom

Even with the curtains closed, the group dared not turn on the lights. They settled for a small reading lamp in the middle of the room, and their flashlights. They couldn't risk a particularly attentive grunt—or worse yet, a Team Galactic Admin with a vendetta—noticing the curtains were drawn, and that light was filtering through the cracks.

They noticed the place looked rather clean, yet dusty. As if it had not been lived in for a while. The water was still on, Jeremy noticed, after a sweep of the basement, the kitchen left spotless, yet all the food in the fridge had been left to rot.

Niya noticed that several rows of shelves had been emptied, and their contents either on the floor, on the tables of the study. Books were spilled open all over the place, some had pages torn out…but there were large enough gaps in the shelves that entire volumes seemed to be missing completely.

Someone had ransacked this place and then…went to the trouble of making it look clean, normal. Like nothing had happened. Like nothing was wrong. Like the professor had merely up and left, to go out into the field and do more hands on studies, as he was wont to do according to Professor Rowan.

But small things here and there showed this to be a lie.

The water was still on. The food in the fridge had gone old, but the kitchen had been meticulously clean. All of these books were strewn everywhere—many were missing and others missing pages.

Not to mention, the door was unlocked.

No…something wasn't right here; Sam had a sinking feeling that Team Galactic had hand a hand in the Professor's disappearance.

This theory was proved when Sam passed a picture on the wall. Silas Yarrow was in the picture, standing next to several children. Three, beaming, round young boys. Teenagers it looked like. All of them dressed ready to hike, the fain whisps of facial hair on most of their faces, something seemed familiar about these children, but Sam couldn't place it.

The fourth boy was slim, skinny, guant looking. He too was dressed in hiking clothes, but he frowned, not looking anywhere near as happy as the other people in the picture.

Silas Yarrow was a big bellied man with a spruce moustache, a thick beard, and wore an explorer's hate, brown khakis, a grey shirt, and a thick vest. A huge pack was on his back, a set of crooked, severely taped glasses sat on his crooked nose.

He looked nothing like the "Silas Yarrow" they met in Mt. Coronet.

But the blue haired gaunt boy in the picture did.

"What the hell's going on?" Sam asked himself, as he friends scoured the rest of the house.

Niya and Jeremy browsed the volumes, but Alyssandra searched Yarrow's bedroom.

Sam turned around when he heard a rustling in the hall. "Hello?" he called.

Everyone froze, looking at Sam, but they stayed silent as not to alert the potential person in the house that there were anymore than a single person here.

Sam went out in the hall, slowly, grabbing the fire poker by the fireplace for self-defence.

The next thing Sam knew there was a whoosing sound, a resounding pain in his face.

He woke up in a different house.

More traditional, like something you'd see in rural Johto.

There was a small few feet of exposed dirt floor, with a mat, where guests left their shoes before stepping up on the raised tatami floor. Several sliding shoji screens closed off the other rooms in the house. There was a small tokonoma alcove that housed a small shrine. The shrine bore stone and steel figures, decorated with diamonds, pearls, citrine and a few other gems Sam couldn't discern. But he did know the shrine was similar to to the ones he'd seen in the ancient Sinnoh ruins throughout the region.

A small irori off to the side of the room held a small fire that caused a teakettle to bubble and boil. The kettle whistled as a small, short, wrinkled woman with snow white hair began grabbed it, and poured it into several small cups.

Sam sat up, having been tucked into a small bedroll.

His face hurt, his eye ached, his face felt swollen, his nose hurt too, crooked, and he could see dried blood on his clothes.

Alyssandra was there, easing him up, and passing him a cup of tea.

Sam sipped the tea, and then turned and faced his friends, and the frowning old woman who sat tending a pot she had recent hung over the fire.

"The others already explained," she stated before Sam could get a word out, "I'm sorry about your…well your whole face; the nose, and the eye. It's broken—the nose that is. The eye will mend sooner. I hit you with my club…and then you fell to the ground and I realized you weren't part of Team Galactic."

Sam nodded and sipped his tea again. "I might've mentioned that if I was conscious," he added sarcastically under his breath.

The old woman snorted. "Ha! Such spirit," she exclaimed, "Ever since they dragged Yarrow away, I have to keep an eye on my own people."

"Your people?" asked Sam.

"I am Nilama, Chieftess of the Celestic Tribe, High Priestess of the Creators," she explained, then she turned to Sam and gave a wide, toothy smile, "Most call me Mama Lama."

"You're Cynthia's—" started Sam.

"Grandmother, yes. We established this while you were unconscious," she said pointing to Jeremy, Alyssandra, Pikachu and Niya, "I know, too, why you're here. You've got your work cut out for you. They're everywhere here, but they've ransacked Yarrow's house, and they've taken over the Temple Shrine completely. My people can't pray to the Creator Pokémon, and I can't tend to their shrines…and I know those bastards are defiling them."

Sam damn near choked on his tea, nearly spilling it all over him and the bedroll.

Nilama seemed not to notice. "But I suppose before we deal with any of that, you've got many, many questions to ask me. So I shall entertain them for as long as I am able."

"How—"

"The Celestic Tribe never died out," smirked Nilama, "No. None of the tribes really ever died out…they just…assimilated into a new culture. Being buried in this valley has helped us endure. Some tribes tried after Arceus banished us from the Holy Mountain. The Hearthome Tribe tried to, the cathedral is a testament to their ability to uphold their piousness…but that's mostly been lost now. The Solaceon Tribe dabbled in their dark magics and their wicked gods before returning to the Creator Pokémon's light. But the Celestic Tribe, the priestly tribe, was the only one to be a constant in the eyes of Arceus. For our faithfulness, we were granted powers and gifts in times of need…I'm sure you've heard the legend of what happened to the doomed ruler of Hearthome when he tried to unify Sinnoh."

Sam had. He had lost two entire legions in the mountain mist of Mt. Coronet.

Five thousand soldiers lost forever.

Something clicked in Sam just then.

"The fog's not natural," stated Aurelio, popping out of nowhere, "I figured that out years ago."

"Correct," nodded Nilama, "A wise and astute observation."

"Pardon?" asked Sam, as he had not been the one to speak just then.

Nilama smiled. "Hm?"

"Sam didn't say anything," stated Alyssandra confused, "I think he's confused as to who you responded too. Unless you read minds?"

"No. It seems I'm just confused," she smiled, knowingly, "Just a confused old woman."

Mama Lama seemed like someone who knew more than she let on, and when she did let on, it was in the cheekiest way she could find.

"Can she see me?" wondered Aurelio, "She always was a crazy woman. I'm glad to see she hasn't changed. She was a breath of fresh air, old Mama Lama."

Nilama chuckled. "Of course." That was all she said, leaving everyone confused.

"What—" started Sam.

"I can tell you their names," replied Nilama pre-emptively, "Arceus is the Great Creator. Palkia is the Great Dragon of Space. Dialga is the Great Dragon of Time. The final dragon is a being claimed to be wicked and evil…it is a troubled creature, misunderstood, that represents the chaos of the world and nature. This Pokémon is known as Giratina, the Great Dragon of Chaos and Discord. The Lake Protectors are Uxie, Azelf and Mespirt and they are the go-betweens for humanity and the Great Dragons and Creator."

"Why—" this time it was Jeremy who started to speak.

"We do not share our secrets readily. Too many would come here, seeking power, seeking glory. We have spread our priestesses throughout the world, seeding stories that these Legendary Pokémon are but figments of an ancient world's imagination," explained Nilama seriously, "Too many have already pursued the rumours as fact as it is. Look at Team Galactic, for example. Only one truly learned our secrets, Professor Silas Yarrow. He is one of us, but he kept only the dangerous, sacred information for himself. Only that which would not conflict with the Creators, or our lives here, was shared with the world in his studies."

Nilama stood up, her cane—still spotted with bits of Sam's nose blood—clacking hard against the tatami mats of the floor as she walked.

"Now we had best hurry," she declared, massaging her back, "Professor Yarrow was taken by Team Galactic to the Shrine, and he needs rescuing. You four are going to help me force Team Galactic out of here."

"Are you feeling up to it Sam?" asked Alyssandra.

"You're damn right he is!" cried Aurelio, "Celestic Town is a treasure, a gem. It needs protecting."

Sam nodded, as he knew Nilama would respond to his grandfather, and he needed to cover her boldness.

"A wonderful answer," laughed Nilama. She grabbed a small woollen, knit cloak and put on her slips. She threw open the sliding door, and waited for the four teens to file out into the darkened streets of Celestic Town.

Team Galactic was going down.


	68. 66 - Celestic Mystery, Deities of Old

~ Chapter 66 ~

Celestic Mystery, the Deities of Old

" _Mama Lama was tougher than she looked. That walking stick of her must've been made of titanium. I didn't think a wooden stick could hurt so much—even after getting it right in the face once. I think more Team Galactic Grunts fell to her walking stick than to us during the infiltration of the shrine. We learned a lot that day…many secrets of the ancient Legendary Pokémon of Sinnoh. I've lived in Sinnoh my whole life, and after 16 years, I thought I knew it pretty well. Yet visting Celestic Town and meeting Mama Lama taught me—and everyone else—that we knew nothing. We know but a fraction of nothing. Let me tell you this, Legendary Pokémon are never to be underestimated."_

Mama Lama had knocked out a small platoon's worth of Team Galactic grunts on the way to the shrine, leaving them tied up and unconscious in the streets where she had knocked them out.

"I will not let them desecrate my Shrine," warned Nilama, "For too long have my people tended to the Gods only to let some flippant children ruin all of that."

Getting into the Shrine was a little harder.

The sunken part of the centre of town held a small Shrine, and a lot of Team Galactic grunts and scientists.

Getting into the Shrine Cave proper required a distraction, provided happily by Niya.

Getting past the guards guarding the Shrine Cave was providence a la Jeremy and his Pikachu. The guards were zapped unconscious, and Nilama and her young wards snuck inside once Niya returned from her distraction providing ways.

Inside there were a few grunts, but they were made quick work of thanks to Pikachu's electric attacks.

Within moments the grunts were tied up, unconscious—and yet, Professor Yarrow was nowhere to be found.

It wasn't hard to look. The cavern shrine was a single room, carved into the natural cave that had been there.

The concensus was that he was likely somewhere else in the town, or was taken back and being held prisoner at their Veilstone Headquarters. The latter was more likely; if Team Galactic was as close to their goal as Sam believed, they weren't taking any more chances of getting disrupted. Their plans for Jubilife City had been thwarted, and their siege of the Valley Windworks was nearly cut short if not for the stalling of Mars, and Eterna City had nearly ended in calamity for Team Galactic. Though the withdrawal had been intentional, likely another stall, Sam still had a feeling it had been a premature withdrawal from their secondary base.

Pastoria City's explosion was likely both warning and distraction from Team Galactic's real goals.

If Sam and the others had rescued Team Galactic's only hope of achieving their goals, everything they had done would be ruined.

Looking back at the cavern shrine, Sam noticed it looked like the ruins at Solaceon and Hearthome—likely from the same time period. The first settlements after the Sinnoh Tribes came down from the mountains.

The walls bore designs and carvings identical to the ones underneath the Hallow Tower.

"Lyss, these—" started Sam.

"So you've met with the Great Mother and her Shrine Maidens?" wondered Nilama, though she knew the answer.

Alyssandra and Sam nodded.

Nilama smiled. "I will keep your secret then."

"What do these pictures mean?" asked Jeremy.

Nilama walked up to the wall and placed her hands against the ornate, raised carvings on the wall. She sighed, her face going trainquil as she ran her hands over the ancient pictures.

"The Oldest Towns in Sinnoh have ruins such as these," explained Nilama, "Some have preserved them, others have tried to hide them. Still others have forgotten them, and have yet to rediscover them. All similar in how they begin, but the endings are different, specific to that tribe's history."

Nilama turned to the group.

"In our ancient temples at the highest point of Mt. Coronet, at the Spear Pillar, the walls were covered in the history of our people, like you see here," explained Nilama, "We tried to preserve what we could…but these are pale imitations of the original. A sliver of what was there survived and came with us here. Arceus destroyed our holy Spear Pillar in retribution for our transgressions and violence. We have lost so much of ourselves."

Nilama looked back at the wall.

"Here, you see Arceus, represented by this gemstone and the thousands of chiselled channels, creating the world from the top of what would become Mt. Coronet," stated Nilama, describing the first panel.

At the next panel, she paused, reading the pictures. "Here, he creates Palkia, Dialga, and Giratina, the three great dragons who each rule over a different aspect of creation. Next, he banishes Giratina for its violent tendencies, then creates the Lake Guardians to help control the rivalry between the remaining two dragons."

Nilama walked to the next panel. "Here, you see our people, building our temples and cities atop the Coronet Chain, and constructing the Spear Pillar. These four people, each holding a different gemstone or artefact, are our Champions. Four chosen beings were gifted with these artefacts by Arceus and the High Priestesses, each would champion and bond with one of the Creator Pokémon, and in times of trouble or strife, would call upon the power of the ancient Dragons and Arceus to protect our people. Few have been chosen over the years, but every few centuries another four Champions would pop up in times of trouble. Arceus is truly mysterious in his methods."

At the next panel, Nilama gave a heavy, troubled sigh. "And then, the war between the tribes broke out. No one knows what caused it, but we know what it caused. Our temples and towns destroyed, and the tribes were banished by Arceus. The Champions have not resurfaced since."

Nilama stopped her explanation there.

"After that," she started, her age starting to show as she grew saddened and burdened, "It is just the history of Celestic Town."

Jeremy pointed towards the massive mural in the middle of the wall.

At the centre, was a large being that was supposed to be Arceus, made of and represented by a mosaic of blue coral and shells. An alcove sat at the centre of the Pokémon's body.

Above Arceus, was the Dragon Giratina, an alcove at its centre. It seemed to have two forms. One like a giant worm, and one like a multilegged caterpillar, it's wings seemed to be made of pure shadow, and was adorned with yellow citrine gems.

In the bottom right corner of the triangle created by the Dragon Gods, was Palkia, adorned with pearls of white and pink. Lord of Space. Another alcove in its centre.

The final corner of the triangle was made up of diamonds of all kinds, and glittered in the candlelight. The Dragon God of Time, Dialga, blue and silver were its colours.

And surrounding the first triangle, forming a second, inverted triangle, were red rubies that represented the three Lake Guardians. Lines of inlaid gold formed the shapes of the triangles between both trios of Pokémon, creating a six-pointed star around Arceus.

"I've seen this mural before in Hearthome City," explained Jeremy, "In Amity Square. It was the building where Pikachu lost his Poké Ball."

"You're an astute young boy," smiled Nilama, "Yes…no doubt on your travels you've seen this mural on smaller, less ornate scales across the other ruins. They were the centrepoint of our religion. Originally, my tribe was the tribe that dealt with all religious matters of our tribes…but when we were fragmented and scattered across the lowlands of Sinnoh, everyone had to make due with what they knew. That is why the other shrines are smaller. But it is not the size of the shrine, but the devotion of the heart that matters most to Arceus."

"What are the alcoves for?" asked Alyssandra.

"Do we really have time for these questions?" asked Niya, "We tore up quite a path in our way in here. We should probably get out as soon as we can." She looked worried, and she kept eyeing the door.

Sooner or later, someone would notice all the unconscious grunts across Celestic Town. Niya had a point.

"The girl is right," sighed Nilama, "Another story for another time. We must get out of here. Our mission to save Yarrow was a failure, we should regroup and find other ways to get Team Galactic out of our town."

The group turned towards the door, only to see a Team Galactic grunt run inside, brandishing a small, brown package in his hands. "I warned you civilians what would happen if you tried to get in here again! You've really angered the boss this time. I'm blowing this place up with a Galactic Bomb!"

Sam, who had moved over to the corner to examine parts of the wall carvings, jumped on the hyper-fanatical grunt from behind knocking him to the ground. The package flew from his hands, and Sam slammed his fists into the grunt's face.

"NEVER AGAIN YOU BASTARDS!" roared Sam.

"Sam, no!" cried Aurelio, speaking out for the first time since he had appeared earlier. He had remained silent through all of Nilama's explanations, and through the entire trip from her house to the shrine.

Now he cried out, trying to save his grandson from killing a man.

Aurelio went to grab Sam, but phased through his grandson. "I hate being dead—someone do something!"

Blood covered his knuckles, and grunt's nose was broken, bleeding, and several teeth went flying after Sam kept hitting.

"Sam, stop!" cried Alyssandra, fear clear in her voice.

Sam couldn't stop himself. He saw the power of the Galactic Bomb in Pastoria City, where it had blown a massive hole in the Great Marsh and levelled part of the city. People died, an ecosystem was almost killed, and Pokémon died.

A Galactic Bomb in a town this small would destroy this shrine, and the entirety of Celestic Town, and the crater in which it sits. Sam wasn't letting that happen again.

When Jeremy and Niya were finally able to pull Sam off the grunt, the man's face—if it could still be called that—was a blood pulp. Teeth and blood covered his robe, the ground, and Sam's shirt and hands.

Blood dripped from his knuckles, which were scrapped and bleeding from repeated impact.

The grunt's eyes were swollen shut, and part of his cheek looked sunken in.

His nose was severely broken and lacerated, and bleeding profusely like a fountain.

It was a sickening sight, and even Niya almost threw up.

The grunt groaned, moaning, in pain—endless pain. His face would never be the same again, his jaw even hanging askew as he tried to talk.

Niya almost wanted to put him out of his misery.

Then, an ear splitting bang—like the sound of thunder, echoing and reverberating off the walls and causing everyone to clap their hands to their ears.

"Cyrus…?" whispered Aurelio to himself, "It can't be…"

In the entranceway, alone and unguarded, stood the blue-haired, gaunt man who had called himself Professor Silas Yarrow in Mount Coronet. Except now he wore not the raiment of a scientist, but a Team Galactic outfit, emblazoned with their logo.

The grunt now lay dead, entering eternal slumber as the man whom was not Silas, but Cyrus, put his still smoking gun back in its holster.

"This is exactly what I mean," he sighed without emotion, "The Human Spirit is flawed. So violent and detestable…see how we hurt each other? Another grunt gone, for nothing."

It seems Cyrus had done what Niya had wanted to—but without the hesitation a normal human would have.

"Cyrus!" cried Nilama, "Where have you taken him?"

Cyrus turned to Mama Lama. "I'm sorry, Mama Lama," he frowned, "But I have taken my grandfather back to our headquarters in Veilstone. He was too valuable to be kept here…especially when we got wind that these four were snooping around in our business again. We took him out last night…about the same time I showed up."

"You came here because we were here?" demanded Niya.

"No…I came early because you were here, but I was on my way as it was," explained Cyrus, "As you know now, my name is Cyrus. Cyrus Yarrow. I would like to know more about the legend of Sinnoh's Creators. It seems I've come just in time—unless I've already missed storytime?"

"You are not worthy to know!" cried Mama Lama, defianetly, standing up at her full—though still short—height.

"And these foolish children are…?" he mocked.

There was a pause.

"I want to put an endless to pointless strife and hostility…like the kind that stole my grunt from me here." Cyrus sniffed as he stepped towards Nilama by the mural. "I am seeking the power to create an ideal world. Thus, I need to know more about these Creators. I need you to answer me, Nilama, now that I have you cornered here finally."

"I told you I wasn't telling you anything," she warned, raising her wooden club, "Just because I knew you as a boy doesn't mean I won't make you look like your grunt here! You can never change this world! The human spirit is not something for humanity to control…it was not of our creation, it is not our domain. Human nature was a gift from forces more powerful than us, and if you come closer I will no longer allow you to squander it."

Cyrus stopped, smiling. "Then answer me this question…Nilama."

Another pause.

"The world cannot be changed because the Legendary Pokémon keep it in balance. Is that whay you're saying?" he asked calmly.

Nilama didn't respond.

Cyrus frowned immediately. "Plead ignorance, will you? What a pointless attitude. You fail to appreciate that the world is incomplete. I will change this world." Cyrus pulled another brown package from his robes. "It would not do to have my grunts carrying around a Galactic Bomb and using it before I showed up. I have the _real_ Galactic Bomb here. As my first step towards a new world, I will destroy this mural here, and this entire shrine that you've protected all these years. A new legend of a new world will take its place."

"I won't let you!" roared Sam; "You take one step closer to that wall and I'll do to you what I did to your grunt…only slower."

Sam shook with rage.

His grandfather, however, had gone from complete shock, to an even bigger outburst of anger than him. After calming down, he stepped behind his grandson in a show of support.

Whatever Cyrus was doing, it was unforgiveable, and no mercy could be shown to a man willing to do anything— _anything—_ to achieve those ends.

"Am I wrong? If you feel that way, challenge me." Cyrus was indignant and unapologetic. There was only one way out of this.

Sam stepped forward and grabbed a Poké Ball.

"We've met at Lake Verity before…haven't we?" this garnered Sam a confused look from everyone else, "Why would you want to protect this incomplete world? As the boss of Team Galactic, I will show you the error of your ways. Though I must say...you'll want more than one Pokémon to defend yourself!"

Cyrus unleashed a Murkrow, Sneasel and Golbat in the cavern.

Sam smirked. "One is all I need!"

Unleashing his Empoleon, Sam's rage flared. His Empoleon and his minds linked. They could feel a click as they connected, and prepared to battle together as one.

Without speaking, Sam's Empoleon used Metal Claw on Sneasel, slashing a massive wound across Sneasel's face and gut. The Pokémon fell to the ground, wounded and unable to battle.

Next, came an Ice Beam for each Murkrow and Golbat. Another Metal Claw shattered the solid blocks of ice around the two Pokémon.

The Pokémon were wounded, but not down.

Sam made sure that was temporary, as he ordered his Empoleon to use it metal limbs to crack the wing joins and break its opponent's wings.

Murkrow and Golbat were down within moments.

Emopleon heaving as he breathed. It had exerted itself to move that fast and that powerfuly, but it wasn't done fighting, just like Sam.

Normally, Sam would never dream of harming another Pokémon during a battle.

Pokémon weren't naturally evil. They weren't born wicked.

But exposure to a wicked trainer could bleed into the Pokémon as they bonded and connected, and corrupt the Pokémon from within.

If Cyrus was any indication of his Pokémon's mental state, Sam didn't feel so bad about what he did.

Cyrus merely frowned and recalled his Pokémon. "Impressive…your prowess is notable. Very remarkable…but, Mama Lama, your attitude earlier told me what I needed to know. This show was futile, though enjoyable. If the beings of time and space are brought together, they can't be stopped…which confirms my grandfather's theories. Thank you all for you time."

With that, Cyrus merely stood up straight, and walked calmly from the cave.

There was the sound of helicopters and aerial transports.

If Sam had to guess, Team Galactic was evacuating. They had got what they came for, and were now leaving to finalize their plans and go into the endgame.

Sam thanked his Empoleon and recalled it.

He looked over at his friends, who couldn't bear to meet his eye.

Aurelio looked at his grandson. He wasn't proud Sam had to resort to rage, but he could understand it. Years of experience in life and death had given him the understanding needed to comprehend what had happened here.

"Come, children," sighed Nilama, defeat resounding in her voice, "We return to my home. Team Galactic is gone…but they have not won."

It was a silent trip back to Nilama's. Not since the Valley Windworks had defeat weighed so heavy on Sam and the others.

Alyssandra didn't look at Sam, and couldn't get near him.

Jeremy stood by him, placing a hand on his shoulder; ever supportive of his brother in friendship.

Niya stood near Alyssandra, but gave Sam a reassuring look that although everyone was scared; redemption and reconciliation were not beyond hope.

The stakes were higher now.

The end of the world was at stake.

The destruction of everything and everyone they had known and loved.

The whole world remade in Cyrus's twisted image.

Once they reached Mama Lama's house, she started rummaging around, getting tea ready but…the more she dug around her house, the more it looked Nilama was looking for something in particular.

The search ended with a heavy thud as she pulled a trunk from beneath her tatami mat floorboards. She placed the box by her hearth, and then passed tea around to all the teenagers.

Then she laughed. And kept laughing.

No one understood what was so funny, in fact they all looked concerned that Nilama had finally snapped under everything that had happened.

Until she threw open the trunk and explained. "You, boy," she pointed at Sam, "Your conduct today was horrifying—and yet, enlightening. You were willing to fight so hard—too hard—for people you've never met. For a world you've never seen, because it was the right thing. Because you saw the harm Team Galactic has done to a small portion of this world, and don't want to see it happen again on a larger scale."

Nilama rummaged through the chest and pulled out several bundled packages.

"I…I have never dreamed I would witness something like this, in my lifetime," smiled Nilama, "But Arceus has spoken…and I am honoured to oblidge. I thought these days were long passed. I must warn you though, young Mr. Accardi, to not let your emotions get ahold of you again. It is a danger to you, and to your friends. Fight, fight with everything inside you, as your grandfather does, but do not let it pull you down a darker path."

Everyone seemed to, willingly or otherwise, ignore Nilama's strange use of tense when referring to Aurelio. Though Alyssandra and Sam suspsected she knew more than she was pretending not to let on.

"I stole these from their alcoves in the Shrine when Team Galactic arrived," explained Nilama, "I couldn't let them get ahold of these artefacts. They would use them for their own evil ends."

Unfolding the first package, Nilama revealed a polyhedronal diamond that glittered brighter than the sun. It's many surfaces created a bug eye effect to those who looked through it. It was almost twice the size of a baseball and sat comfortably in Jeremy's palm as she handed it to him.

"The Adamant Orb," spoke Nilama, "Held by the Champion of Dialga. If Cyrus succeeds in summoning the Legendary Pokémon, use it, to calm the Dragon God of Time, Dialga."

Next, she unwrapped a beautiful, lustrous pearl that shone in hues of pink and white and alabaster. She handed the beautiful gem to Alyssandra, who took it delicately. She examined it, holding it in both of her tiny hands.

"That is the Lustrous Orb," smiled Nilama, trying to give Alyssandra the confidence to hold her artefact proudly, "If Cyrus achieves his goals, you will need this to calm the Dragon God of Space, Palkia."

The third artefact was unwrapped, revealing an amber-yellow gem. It looked like citrine and was shaped like a Revive—two four sided pyramids stuck together at their base. The yellow diamond shined with a horrible light, both wicked and beautiful.

"The Griseous Orb," Nilama stated as she placed the gem, about the same size as the others, into Niya's hands, "This will allow you to calm the Dragon God of Chaos, Giratina, should Cyrus succeed in summoning the trio."

Finally, with a heavy, sigh, Nilama slowly unwrapped the last package. What was revealed was an ornately crafted flute made from a deep blue conch shell and several bits of coral for the mouthpiece. It had a few fingerholes that would allow the flute to play several notes.

She handed this flute to Sam.

"The Azure Flute," said Nilama somberly, "This flute will allow you to call upon and summon the Great Creator, Arceus. Should the others fail, or Cyrus get too far before you can intervene, use this flute, and Arceus shall come forth to put things right…I hope."

"She hopes?" asked Aurelio.

Sam almost wanted to blurt out "What he said!" But thought better about it, as no one else save Alyssandra and probably Nilama knew about Aurelio.

"What do you mean?" asked Sam instead.

"Arceus is a God Pokémon. He…is finicky, at times. He has been known to ignore the calls of Champions…and none have asked for his aid since before the banishing from Mt. Coronet. He does not hate us…but he may not seek to actively intervene on our behalf when he feels we could still save and redeem ourselves," explained Mama Lama.

"What kind of bullshit is this," hissed Aurelio.

Nilama simply smiled.

Nothing was said for a few moments; until Alyssandra bowed to Nilama, and thanked her, and the others followed suit.

"Is there anything else we should know?" asked Niya, "We're going to need all of this secret, sacred information if we're going to defeat Cyrus and Team Galactic. What does Cyrus need to complete his goals? What will Yarrow tell him?"

Nilama sighed and sipped her tea. After much thought, she finally responded. "He needs the Red Chain to summon and control the Legendary Trio. To get the Red Chain, he would have to create it, using the Lake Guardians," explained Nilama, "The crystals these Guardians bear can be removed, and gifted, willing of course, by the Guardians to the High Priestesses who need to summon and control the Legendary Pokémon in times of great need when there are no Champions. It has only ever happened once but…theoretically, he could fuse the Red Chain using those gems, and then bind the Legendary Dragons to his will."

"So he would need to capture the Lake Guardians then, and from there, it's about how long until he could get the crystals from them, and then how long it would take to fuse the Red Chain properly?" asked Sam.

Nilama nodded. "No one has ever found the Lake Guardians, and their chambers remained sealed. It is said they are able to turn invisible at will…they do not show themselves for just anyone," explained Nilama, "It will not be easy for Cyrus to capture them…but it is still possible."

"So long as he doesn't capture the Lake Guardians, he can't achieve his goals," mused Sam, "We should tell Valentina and Cynthia, maybe they could put up police protection around the three lakes."

"It's possible," added Alyssandra, speaking for the first time since the Shrine, her voice still a little shaky, "They would be willing to help defeat Team Galactic…especially after everything they've done."

"We'll have to contact them immediately," said Jeremy, "The longer we take, the sooner Team Galactic will find out how to capture the Guardians and make the Red Chain."

"Leave contacting my granddaughter to me," added Nilama, "I can reach her faster than most. I'll make sure she passes the information along to the Champion…you four should be worried about getting stronger. Continue your travels, your contests and your gym battles; this will not be an easy battle, against Team Galactic, or against the Legendary Pokémon…you will need to make sure you are at the peak of your strength. Besides! It does not do to sit and worry, and forget to live."

Nilama spoke true, and even Sam's grandfather added his voice in agreement. Sam could see the logic in it. So it was agreed what they would do next.

Nilama disappeared to check on her people, and contact Cynthia.

The group would sleep the night at Nilama's, after their tea was finished of course, and leave at first light tomorrow.

They would take the mountain path to Eterna, on the otherside of Mt. Coronet, to the west of Celestic Town. From there they would make their way back to Jubilife, and finally they would continue towards Route 218, likely charter a boat to get across the incredibly watery route quickly, and then make their way to Canalave.

From there, the plan was to train a bit before Sam battled the Canalave Gym Leader. The locale of their training would be Iron Island.

Sam also resolved to contact Professor Rowan once they reached Eterna, and give him an update on what they were doing. Perhaps he knew a way to help protect the Legendary Pokémon, or defeat Team Galactic.

Sam also considered calling in a few favours for when it was time to take down Team Galactic, but he wanted to keep those cards close to his chest for a little while longer.

It was late at night, and everyone was fast asleep when Alyssandra finally sat down next to Sam. He couldn't sleep, so he was sitting out on the side porch of Nilama's, staring out into the night sky. The crater was pitch black even with the moon and stars, but that only made the sky shine even brighter.

Sam had never seen so many stars—not even in Twinleaf Town growing up. Celestic Town was a special kind of secluded.

Alyssandra sat down on the polished wooden porch, her feet dangling down off the edge.

"I'm sorry," started Sam, "I went too far today…I…I didn't want to hurt him like that."

"No, you did," replied Alyssandra, though not angrily, "You meant to hurt him in the moment—but you _regret_ hurting him like that."

"I just wanted to prevent another incident like Pastoria City…so many Pokémon and people dead for what? For a distraction, for a test run of some big bomb?" asked Sam.

Alyssandra placed a hand on Sam's forearm. "I understand. I get it. But I think Nilama was right about your anger. Going forward, you shouldn't let it get ahold of you like that again."

"She's got a point," added Aurelio, phasing through the wall before leaning on it.

"I know," he responded to both of them.

"I'm sorry, Lyss," added Sam, looking to change the subject, "This business in Celestic Town cancelled the Contest we came here for…you didn't get your ribbon."

Celestic Town was the last contest before the Grand Festival later this year. Meaning Alyssandra would be a ribbon short for qualifying for the Grand Festival. She wouldn't be able to participate this year.

"It's okay, don't worry" she shrugged, "I…I don't think I would have won this year anyway."

"Why not? You're an amazing Coordinator! You've got the skills!" reassured Sam.

Alyssandra smiled feebly. "I'd be in my head too much," she shrugged, "Too worried. I have the skills, but no the confidence. I just started as a Coordinator. I want to spend some more time honing my skills. But maybe, if we ever leave Sinnoh to explore other regions, I'll enter their Grand Festivals. I hear they host them in Kanto and Hoenn too."

"We'll see how far we get," replied Sam nervously. That was a lot of Pokémon Leagues to battle against—he still had to deal with beating the Sinnoh League.

"Maybe I'll just go without you," laughed Alyssandra, in a teasing tone.

"Hey that wasn't a no!" cried Sam.

The two laughed on the patio, Aurelio phasing back through the wall to give them their time.

They were up for at least another hour, just talking, repairing the bridge of friendship that had strained when Sam attacked the Galactic Grunt.

Everything changed when they arrived at Celestic Town. Things had been getting heavier, deeper. The tension was so thick; they could feel it as a physical weight in the air.

They were getting closer to something; something big…something world changing, and potentially world ending.

They were getting closer to Team Galactic's endgame, and the battle for the fate of Sinnoh—no…the world, would soon commence.

How was it that four sixteen-year-old teenagers from Twinleaf Town had become wrapped up in the fate of the universe, and Creator Gods?

Maybe Professor was right…maybe they should have stayed away from Team Galactic a long time ago.

But now it was too late.

The die had been cast.


	69. 67 - The Watery Path of 2018

~ Chapter 67 ~

The Watery Path of 218

" _The inability to compete in the Grand Festival was weighing heavy on Lyss's mind as we travelled back to Jubilife City. I tried speaking with her about it, but it was nothing compared to the advice Niya could give. Niya had actually had competed in and won the Sinnoh Grand Festival a few years back. She also had the Wallace Cup under her belt—that was the epitomy of Pokémon Coordinating apparently, I still don't pretend to understand it. Niya was able to explain to Alyssandra that she had made the correct, and even mature, decision. If she didn't have the confidence, it was better to redouble her training efforts, get some more experience with contests rather than let the Grand Festival get to her head for the rest of her life."_

The boat hummed gently, then slowly rattled to a stop.

It was a decently sized boat, with a small cabin beneath the deck where the four teens could sleep in the evenings. By boat it was only a two-day trip to Canalave City, however, that now turned into three as the group took their time to catch some Pokémon, fill in their Pokédex, do some fishing, and take in the sights of Cape Canalave.

A small U-shaped curve of land made of sheer cliff face, and tiny white sand beaches, along the edge of the coast, which faced a small cape that bled out into the ocean.

The water sparkled sapphire under the sky, and there were Wingull and Pelleper squawking in the air above.

Alyssandra and Sam had taken the time to fish, while Niya tossed the anchor into the water below, and ensured it was properly secured.

Jeremy sunbathed on the bow of the boat along with Pikachu.

Everyone was wearing his or her bathing suits, bikinis and swim shorts, as the basked on the boat.

Niya soon lay down her towel, lathered her pale skin in sunscreen, placed her glasses on her face, and went to sleep beneath the bright, midday sun.

"You used to fish all the time with your grandfather, didn't you?" asked Alyssandra as she sat there, blowing her hair out of her face. Her hair had been done up in a high bun, but her bangs hung down the side of her face.

"All the time!" roared Aurelio, leaning against the railing of the boat, "He was pretty good too—taught him everything he knows!"

Sam rolled his eyes. "He and I used to go out, early in the morning to Lake Verity and we'd fish often, yeah," replied Sam, "I used to catch more than him."

"Twice!" Aurelio protested.

"Yeah, a week," muttered Sam under his breath, smiling to himself.

Alyssandra didn't' seem to notice, but if she did Sam didn't care as much. She knew his secret, and that his grandfather's ghost hung around him, she just couldn't hear him.

"Not a lot happens, huh?" asked Alyssandra.

"Not always, no," admitted Sam, "More often than not you don't catch anything. But sometimes you get lucky. What are you trying to catch?"

"Anything, Pokémon though for sure," replied Alyssandra checking her Pokétch for the time, "Just some things to fill out my Pokédex, and give me an extra Pokémon I could potentially sub-in during Contests. A Finneon would be nice, because Lumineon are beautiful, and would well during a Contest Appeal."

"How are you feeling about that, by the way?" asked Sam, trying to see where Alyssandra was at with coming to terms with her recent development in Celestic. Due to the Team Galactic takeover, the Pokémon Contest in the town was cancelled. Nilama and a few other elders were supposed to be the judges, along with the local Nurse Joy—Mama Lama even offered Alyssandra the ribbon she had for helping Celestic Town, but Alyssandra refused to take it on the grounds of her own honour and decency.

Sam was proud of her.

Niya was fifty-fifty. She was proud of Alyssandra's integrity, but her competitive coach side thought Alyssandra should've accepted and been cunning.

Jeremy was also proud, and Pikachu spent the day following Alyssandra around as a sign of solidarity.

But because of the cancellation of the Celestic Contest, the last Contest of the year before the Grand Festival in a month meant Alyssandra was a ribbon short to qualify for the Grand Festival.

Despite her protests and her reasonings, Alyssandra had been crushed by the news. But eveyone's support and advice had helped her. Or so they hoped, Sam was making sure it had now.

"Better than I was," she shrugged, "I was…it hurt knowing I couldn't even try. Niya's advice really helped. I don't want to embarrass myself in front of the Grand Festival judges at my first Grand Festival. The competition is vicious. I'm glad I'm waiting…but part of me; part of me feels I could've won it. Part of me aches that I can't compete…less and less every day though. I'm also a little bummed out that I won't be able to compete in another Contest for another few months. It'll be a month until the Grand Festival, and then another month or so before they start the circuit up again. At least I have time to practice…I'm still serious about seeing other regions. Maybe I'll go off to Kanto or Hoenn and do some contests."

"If that's what you want to do, we'll support you," smiled Sam, "We'll go together, travel the world!"

Alyssandra smiled. "You mean that? The man who didn't want to leave home because of your grandmother?"

"I've gotten the taste for travel," shrugged Sam.

"You just can't stand to be without her, more like," chuckled Aurelio.

Sam's face went red and he quickly looked back at his reel and rod.

He thought he saw the tip bob a bit…but it was just the waves, and leaned back in his chair.

The two teens sat there in silence for what must have been at least an hour. The shadows stretched a bit, and Sam could feel the sun hitting a different side of his body, at a new angle by the time Alyssandra finally spoke.

"Thank you," she said, smiling, blushing slightly, "Your support, your advice. Talking with me. I appreciate it."

Sam shrugged and started vomiting out syllables and sounds unintelligible to any human. He couldn't get the words out.

Alyssandra smiled, brushing some hair behind her ear.

Aurelio rolled his eyes and made a scoffing sound.

Then, the sound of the bell at the end of Alyssandra's fishing rod rang out, loud and clear.

"Lyss, your line!" cried Sam, taking her attention off his gibberish.

Alyssandra reached forward and grabbed the rod. Sam jumped off his chair and stood behind Alyssandra, coaching her.

"Which way is the fish pulling?" he asked.

"To the left," he asked.

"Give the rod a good jerk to the right to set the hook," he explained, "It'll prevent the Pokémon or fish from getting off without a fight or breaking the line."

Alyssandra did as she was told and jerked the rod.

Whatever was on the other end started fighting harder.

Sam helped Alyssandra reel in the fish, and tug hard on the rod. She did really well for her first time, and all Sam could do was offer small changes to technique and speed to improve success.

Within minutes, Alyssandra had reeled in a Finneon. She cut the line, removed the hook, and tossed a Poké Ball at it.

It wasn't an ideal way to catch a fish Pokémon—most people preferred diving and battling underwater. But once Alyssandra had caught the Finneon, she brought it out and healed it up, making sure the wound from the hook wouldn't get infected and would heal over nicely. Some Full Restore helped, and all that was left was time.

Finneon felt better for it, and was greatful for the healing, though it was still shy.

Alyssandra returned it to its Poké Ball to let it rest, and then turned back to Sam to smile.

"This fishing stuff is actually kind of fun," she exclaimed, "Thanks for teaching me."

Sam returned to his garbled mess of words.

Aurelio merely put his face in his heads in protest.

The two sat down again by their rods, and waited patiently for the next fish, or Pokémon, to bite.

It was another small drought of silence before Alyssandra spoke up. "Have you ever thought about it?"

Sam screwed up his face in confusion.

Alyssandra clarified. "If you end up in my position," explained Alyssandra, "If you lose to Valentina or the Elite Four? What would you do?"

Sam paused for a moment. He'd never considered it. His overconfidence had pushed that thought from his mind. Sure he'd lost to a Gym Leader once before, to Maylene in Veilstone, but since then his streak had gone back to perfect.

"I…I supposed I'd try again," replied Sam finally, "I'd take on the whole Elite Four a second time, and climb my way back to Valentina."

"Even if it took years?" Alyssandra wondered.

Sam nodded. "Even if it took the rest of my life. I'd go train, I'd get stronger, I'd hermit if I had to. But I will take down the Pokémon League, and conquer it. That's why I left home, and it's why I've been pushing my Pokémon as hard as I have recently. I'm beating that Pokémon League—I don't care if it's the only League I ever battle in my life. One is enough, if it needs to be."

Alyssandra was impressed with Sam's commitment. But her questions didn't end there. "And what if you win?"

"What do you mean?" Sam asked, confused again.

"Would you take the job and become Sinnoh Champion?" asked Alyssandra.

"I…I don't have an answer for that," replied Sam, "But if I had to have one…I guess it depends. It depends on how old I was, and how long it had taken me to defeat the League. If it takes me ten years; by then I might be ready to settle down and become the Champion in role, and title. But if I get it in one go; I probably won't. There's still so much more that I wan't to see of this world…I got a taste for travel, and I'm hooked."

The remainder of the day went peacefully.

By the time the sun was going down, Alyssandra had caught a Mantyke to add to her collection of Pokémon.

The two gave up fishing shortly before sundown, and now sat on the back of the boat, feet dipped into the water as they watched the sun go down.

Alyssandra rested her head on Sam's shoulder, and the ghost of Aurelio faded away to give the two privacy to talk.

Jeremy and Niya were still asleep, Jeremy developing a Pikachu shaped tan-mark on his stomach.

Sam and Alyssandra simply sat and watched the sun sink low into the sky, until Jeremy and Niya finally woke up, several shades darker than they had been before—except Niya, who remained as pale as vanilla ice cream.

Niya complained about her light complexion; all day in the sun and barely a shade darker.

Meanwhile, Jeremy complained about his Pikachu shaped tan-lines now blaring across his chest as everyone laughed at his expense.

The group decided they would keep the boat moored here for the evening, and sleep the night at this spot, before continuing off to Canalave the next morning.


	70. 68 - The Iron Island Ferry

~ Chapter 68 ~

Canalave City, The Iron Island Ferry

" _We arrived in Canalave City, by boat. Unfortunately, we weren't able to take the same boat out to Iron Island. A mysterious and sacred tribe of religious recluses who believed in something called 'Aura' inhabited it, and supposedly they didn't let too many people near their island in order to protect themselves and their power. The whispers of Team Galactic's evil on the mainland hadn't helped much. Our ferry master was the only person—or at least one of the few—allowed to go between Iron Island and the mainland, and only because he was responsible for bringing the tribe to and from the mainland, as well as bringing them any mail or supplies they might be getting from those they knew on the mainland. Supposedly he was the only one brave enough to navigate the rough waters—though some said recently his bravery had been doubled and he went out there looking for a Lunar Wing and the Mythical Pokémon Cresselia. Supposedly his son had fallen ill, and he was looking for the legendary island where Cresselia was supposed to be near Iron Island. Eventually, he found it. But that's a story for another time."_

Canalave City was big, and sitting right on the harbour. It was known for shipping, industry, warehouses, and fisheries. The place smelled of fish as a result—at least closer to the sea. The further south you went in the city, the better it smelled.

The entire city was divided in four areas. Two massive man-made canals flowed through the city, and out to the other sea south of Canalave. These canals contained a large amount of lift locks that raised and lowered the boats that came in and out of the canals. The canals existed so large ships could get right through Canalave to the South Sinnoh Sea, as opposed to going around the Canalave Peninsula.

The third divider was an actual river. This was smaller, with no lift locks, allowing smaller passenger and private watercraft to travel between the East and South Sinnoh Seas.

It was down this river that Sam and his friends were travelling.

They were on a small—relatively—ferry, travelling towards Iron Island.

They hadn't been here all that long, in fact as soon as they arrived and dropped off the boat, they'd made their way to the ferry to set up passage to Iron Island.

It had been a day since then. Now the ferryman was driving the medium sized boat out into the open sea.

"I ain't taken no one to Iron Island in a dog's age," grumbled the Captain, "I reckon it's been fifteen years."

He was an older, grizzled man. Long white beard, big burly build and scars all over his arms and hands—your typical sailor, missing only the eye patch.

"We appreciate you taking us over on such short notice," thanked Alyssandra, in response.

"'S'nothing," he shrugged, "I were going out that way anyway. Just a few extra passengers, nothing big; didn't even hafta pay me nuthin' if ya didn't want. I woulda dun it fer free."

Sam shrugged and stepped forward. "I wasn't about to make you drive us around for free," he relpied, "I was raised right after all."

The old sailor gave a gruff laugh. "Aye, well, we won' be at Iron Island 'til tomorrow. Best be gettin' some rest, taking a breather before ya get trainin' there; you'll be needin' yer strength. If yer need food, just go below deck and let Cookie know. He's the cook, he'll whip you up somethin'."

They thanked the captain for his hospitality, and he returned to the bridge.

They had small cabins down below deck where they would retire later for a nap.

The captain used a small transport frigate that he modified with a better kitchen and mess hall than it came with, and extra cabins for guests and the crew.

Sam looked over at Alyssandra, and she smiled at him.

The two's relationship had greatly improved, and was better than ever before since the incident in Celestic Town, though Sam only knew that because she didn't know the truth about Alexios.

He had shot himself on Route 214, and Sam had buried him underneath an unmarked, gnarled oak where he died.

It was the least Sam could do.

It was what Sam did with the gun, and what he was planning to do with the gun, that would've worried his friends and Alyssandra.

Sam placed his hand in his shoulder bag and felt the small, snub-nosed gun. The metal was cold, even in his bag, with a wooden handle.

It was a small revolver, what Sam recognized as a .38 calibre, also known as the 38 Special.

He saw it in all those old movies; the small, easy to concile revolver used by the criminals and heroes alike.

And Sam was going to use it to put a bullet between Cyrus's eyes.

Cyrus.

Charon.

Jupiter.

Saturn.

Mars.

That was his shit list.

The gun held five rounds. Alexios had a single round in the chamber when he shot himself, but he had a small box of ammo in his pocket, which Sam pilfered from his corpse.

There were just enough bullets left to have two shots on everyone—a shot, and a back up if he averaged it out.

Alyssandra came up to him and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, you okay?"

Sam jumped a bit. He zoned out when he had gone to feel for the gun.

Alyssandra frowned, looking at him. "What's wrong?"

Sam shook his head. "Nothing, I'm just tired. We've done a lot of travelling, there's been a lot going on."

"You should rest," she suggested, placing a hand on his shoulder, "You don't need to burn out before Iron Island."

Sam shook his head. "I'm okay. I just…I think I need some food."

Sam was a decent actor, and he needed to play off his plotting as something else, or he was going to get questions he wasn't going to be able to answer—or didn't wan't to answer.

"I know what he needs," cried Jeremy, running over to Sam, "He needs a battle!"

"We all need a battle," Niya said as she stretched her arms, craking her neck, "We haven't had a four way battle in a while. My Pokémon are itching for a fight."

"You're telling me," smiled Jeremy, agreeing.

"You know what, you're right!' cried Alyssandra, "I haven't taken my Pokémon out for a challenging battle in a while."

"What do you say, Sam? Or are we beneath your skill now that you're a contender for the Pokémon League?" Niya taunted.

Sam gritted his teeth—not angrily, but feeling the competiveness fuel his heart and mind—he was ready to do this.

"You going to let them talk to like that, my boy?" asked Aurelio, coming up behind Sam, trying to egg him on.

"I took on three well trained Pokémon and took them down in a matter of seconds back in Celestic," warned Sam, "You sure you want to do this?"

Everyone laughed. That was the spirit.

"So, this one's a three on one?" asked Niya.

"Let's do it," agreed Sam, "I could use a challenge. My Pokémon need to be ready to plough through the last three Gym Leaders, and the Pokémon League. The harder I tarin them, the less trouble the League will be."

"All right, but I'll allow a stipulation for each of us," explained Niya, "Three Pokémon each. We can only use one at a time, but it's the three of us versus Sam. We can only sub-out when our Pokémon is defeated, and we have to have three Pokémon against Sam at any one time."

"So three of my Pokémon get to take down nine of your guys'?" smirked Sam, itching for a challenge.

"You've got this," smiled Aurelio, "It'll be a challenge, but you've got this."

Jeremy pointed to the aft of the boat, towards the stern. "I'll go ask the Captain if we can battle on the deck without disturbing him or his boat."

"Or destroying it," sighed Alyssandra, remembering the tent they had to replace as they passed through Route 205 a week or so back, when Sam had battled a wild Pokémon, only for the Pokémon to escape, and Sam to completely burn a tent to the ground.

Sam's face turned a light shade of pink. Alyssandra stuck her tongue out at him, laughing from her mouth and her eyes. She took was a light shade of pink.

Sam chuckled.

Aurelio nudged his grandson, to which Sam did his best to ignore him and his incinuations.

Alyssandra wouldn't be so close or happy with Sam if she knew what he had planned for the destructive heads of Team Galactic.

The revenge he sought.

For corrupting Alexios, for feeding the worst in a man Sam had long respected. Who had thrown away the lives of humans and Pokémon for profit and personal gain, just so they could destroy the world in the end; they sickened him, and he yearned for revenge.

He didn't hate the Black Claw Gang as much as he hated Team Galactic, and that said something.

But for now, no thoughts of that, no thoughts of revenge, for now, Sam had a battle to win.

A battle he was _going_ to win.

He needed this victory, to train—or this loss to be honest; he didn't need to win to get experience from this, to grow stronger.

As long as he learned, that's what was important.


End file.
